Fairy Tail 1. Chapter 1: Prologue (5-15)

_"Get back here!" __Lucy yelled, running after her best friend. _

_"You have to catch me first!" the boy laughed, running faster. _

_Lucy stopped dead in her tracks. _

_"Huh?" the boy asked, turning around. _

_Lucy let a blood-curdling scream escape her lips. _

_"No, stop!" the boy yelled. He ran over and gave Lucy her teddy bear back. She immediately stopped screaming. She kiss the boy on the cheek and ran away. The boy's face turned beat red. _

_Lucy slid down the bark of a tree nearby. Her face was equally red. She couldn't help but smile. _

_Just a little._


	2. Chapter 2 (5-15)

**Yes, another story. I want to be daring and run four at a time. Think I can do it? If you said no, LOVE YOU TOO!**

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**Notices: There are a few notices on my profile, so please check those out as well :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

"Lucy, get out of the car," Layla whined to her daughter.

"I can't," Lucy said quietly. She was curled up in a ball, sitting in the front seat. A few students stopped walking and stared at the scene.

"One," Layla started to count. Lucy's arm twitched. "Two," Layla said a little firmer. Lucy hugged her knees tighter. "Three."

Lucy was instantly beside Layla. The latter smiled before closing the car door. She didn't care if her daughter was sixteen; counting always worked.

"I'll pick you up after school, okay?" Layla asked, kissing her daughter's head. She got back in her car.

When she was gone, Lucy slowly walked towards the front of the school. Layla picked up her schedule the day before, so she just had to go to class. That just made it the worst Monday ever.

When she finally found the room, the bell had already rung. She timidly knocked on the door. When the teacher opened the door, she felt her whole world come crashing down.

She had twenty pairs of eyes staring at her.

Her worst nightmare.

X

"You guys should really start doing your homework," Lisanna sighed, watching Gray, Natsu, and Loke scramble to copy someone's work.

"Yeah, yeah," Gray said, waving her off. Lisanna just rolled her eyes and continued talking to Levy.

_knock knock_

It was so faint, everyone almost didn't hear it. Actually, the teacher didn't.

"Gildharts!" a student yelled. "Someone's at the door!"

Gildharts ran to the door and opened it. 'You have to run to make the task fun,' he told everyone at the beginning of the year.

When the door opened, everyone stared at the girl on the other side. She timidly followed Gildharts to the front of the room.

"Everyone, this is your new classmate," Gildharts said with an almost bored expression. "Care to introduce yourself?"

The girl in the front of the room was wearing a blue hoodie with a cat face on the hood. The hood was flipped up, shielding her eyes, since she was looking at the floor. It was mid-October, so it made since that she was wearing shorts, although they were rather short. She had black flip-flops on her feet. Her drawstring backpack was black with a pink logo on it for a neighboring school, Sabertooth.

"L-L," the girl stuttered. After that, everyone heard faint sniffles.

"Uh, are you okay?" Gildharts asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. The girl jumped slightly and looked up, her tear-streaked face being exposed. A few snickers came from students. "So, uh, just take a seat in the back, I guess." Gildharts didn't want to embarrass her further. "Her name is Lucy, by the way."

Lucy quickly went to the seat in the far back. It was right beside the window, too. Someone thought it would be funny to extend their foot and trip her, though. She didn't even bother putting her hands out to catch herself. Warm arms caught her, anyways.

"Are you okay?" a masculine voice asked. Lucy slowly looked up. The kid had pink hair. She stared at him with wide eyes. "Oh, you're a blonde." Lucy realized her hood fell down. She quickly moved away from him and put it back up.

"Th-th," she stuttered out. She moved past him and took her seat.

X

At lunch, Lucy happily took her seat at an empty table in the corner of the lunch room. She had cried five during the four classes she's had so far. She was embarrassed, but didn't let that bother her. She pulled a bento box from her bag and the cell phone from her pocket. She looked to see if she had any messages. She smiled, seeing she had a few.

_From: Sting_

_Lucy! Pls tell me u r okkkkkk!_

She smiled at the text. It was just like him to worry. She saw a few more from him, so she decided to look through them before replying.

_From: Sting_

_How was 1 class? Wait, are you even in school yet? You could be in a different time zone..._

_From: Sting _

_Wait! I checked. U r only 1.5 hrs away!_

Lucy decided to reply before he had a heart attack. Sting was one of her friends from Sabertooth.

_To: Sting_

_I'm fine. Don't worry about me_

She looked at the next message.

_From: Yukino_

_Sting is freaking out! I'm sure Rogue is, too, but you know how he is ;) So how are you doing? Please tell me you didn't cry?! That would be awful! And you wore the hoodie Rogue gave you, right :) ;D_

Lucy smiled. Rogue was the silent one of their group. She's always had a tiny crush on him. She wouldn't admit it, though. And before she left, everyone gave her a gift. Yukino gave her a bracelet that said 'best.' Yukino's said 'friend.' Sting gave her her drawstring bag, and Rogue the blue cat hoodie she was wearing.

_To: Yukino_

_I only cried five times...And stop teasing me about Rogue! And yes, I'm wearing the hoodie._

Lucy set her phone down and opened her bento box. She smiled at the colorful food. She was definitely a Mamma's Girl. Layla did everything for her; everything from her laundry to driving her places to packing her lunch. She wouldn't know what to do without her. She saw her phone light up, so she checked the message.

_From: Yukino _

_But you're so cute together! You can't forget that time you guys kiss!_

_To: Yukino _

_Shut up! You know it wasn't an actual kiss!_

Lucy was always less shy around her friends. She was very expressive around her friends, though.

_From Yukino_

_...Honeslty, Luce! What am I going to do with you?!_

Lucy realized she was blushing. Yes, Rogue sort-of-kind-of kissed her. But she refused to admit it. She was crying, and he kissed her cheek, telling her that it was okay. She didn't count in as a kiss, but Yukino sure did!

X

Three slow periods later, the end of the day came. Lucy was very happy about that. She managed to only cry in two of the last three classes, so she was proud of herself. She wasn't a crybaby, though. She just got worked-up easily, and had an extreme fear of crowds.

"How was your day?"

Lucy jumped and looked behind her. She saw the boy that caught her during her first class. She discovered that his name was Natsu Dragneel.

"I'm just wondering," Natsu laughed. "There's no need to be scared."

"O-okay," she squeaked out.

Natsu smiled widely. "Tomorrow will be even better!" he said happily, patting her back. She smiled faintly back. "I'll see you later, okay?" He waved before running off to his bus.

Lucy adjusted the straps on her bag and walked to the car where her mother was waiting patiently.

"Who was that?" Layla asked when Lucy got in the car. She started the engine and began to leave the parking lot.

"His name is Natsu," Lucy said, tucking her knees to her chest. It wasn't the safest way to ride in a vehicle, but she didn't care.

"He was cute," Layla noted. Lucy blushed slightly. "Sorry, I forgot about Rogue," Layla laughed.

"You're worse than Yukino," Lucy mumbled. She may have been close to her mother, but she was never fully open. She was always a least a little quiet around her.

"You kissed, didn't you?" Layla teased. Lucy turned the radio. That meant Layla was suppose to stop talking. But Layla wasn't finished. She turned the radio back off. "Your father is taking you out for ice cream later. Won't that be fun?" When Lucy didn't reply, Layla turned the radio back on.

Lucy put her face on her knees and smiled.

Layla smiled, seeing Lucy smile.


	3. Chapter 3 (5-17)

"Lucy," Layla said in a threatening tone. She was growing impatient.

"Can I just go home?" Lucy asked quietly, hugging her knees tighter.

"Lucy! Get out of the car!" Layla yelled.

"But I don't like it here," Lucy whined. She did not want her second day at Fairy Tail to start so soon. And what made her even more mad was that Layla lied about her father taking her for ice cream.

"What will it take?" Layla sighed. She didn't understand why Lucy was so shy. She was always an active and bubbly child. She couldn't figure out what changed.

"Take me back to Sabertooth." Lucy had the bracelet Yukino gave her around her thumb, feeling the smooth metal.

"Lucy, you know we can't move back," Layla said. She laughed. "I remember when you first moved to Sabertooth you cried, saying you want to go back to Magnolia."

"Lucy?"

Layla looked up and saw Natsu. She only remembered him because he was talking to Lucy the day before. He was looking at Lucy with curious eyes.

"Oh good," Layla said, clasping her hands together. Natsu looked up at her. "You can help me with Lucy."

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked. He looked back at Lucy. He saw that she was wearing the same hoodie as the day before, but this time with a black skirt.

"She won't get out of the car," Layla sighed, pinching her temples. "We had this problem yesterday."

"Come on, Luce," Natsu said. He put his hand on her head. He wouldn't know it, but her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Lets go to class, okay?"

Lucy shook her head. She really didn't want to go out of the car now.

"You better get out of the car," Natsu said in a teasing voice. She didn't make any move to move. "Alright, let's go." He reached one hand under her knees and one on her lower back, scooping her up. She squirmed in his grasp, trying to stop him from taking her from the car. She failed, though.

"Thank you," Layla said, relieved. She kissed Lucy's forehead before running to the car. She drove off before Lucy could protest.

"I'm going to pick you up again if you try to run, okay?" Natsu asked. He gently set Lucy back on her feet. He then knew that her skirt was pretty short, and she was wearing her black flip-flops again. He smiled at her before walking towards the school.

Just a few steps later, he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked over and saw Lucy lightly gripping his shirt. He smiled. "What's up?" he asked. When she didn't reply, he knelt down to her level. She only reached his shoulder. He lifted up her chin and saw her biting her lip, tears threatening to fall.

"I-I," she stuttered. She looked down at the ground.

"It's alright," Natsu said, a grin still plastered on his face. He stood back up and grabbed her hand. "We'll go together, okay?" She nodded shyly. He squeezed her hand before walking to class.

As they walked, people in the hall stared at them. They were whispering, wondering who the blonde girl was. Some were saying they didn't know Natsu had a girlfriend, others not believing he could get a girlfriend. And others remembered Lucy from the day before when she was crying. Hearing all this, Lucy just stepped closer to Natsu and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back without looking at her. She didn't know why she felt so safe next to him, as if she didn't have to feel so shy and scared. It was like she was with Yukino, Rogue, and Sting again. So did that make Natsu a friend? She didn't know.

"Hey guys," Natsu greeted as the pair entered first period.

"Hey Nat-" Lisanna stopped talking when she saw Natsu holding Lucy's hand. She calmly turned around in her seat to face Levy, who was sitting on the other side of her.

Natsu didn't really notice Lisanna's behavior. He just walked Lucy to her seat. She smiled faintly and sat down. He was just at the right angle to see her smile under her hood. He smiled at that. Lucy was a sweet girl, but she was just in need of some friends. And he was more than happy to be that friend.

"What's with you and Blondie?" Loke asked, pushing his glasses further up on his face. The light glimmered off of them for a split second.

"Nothing's going on, why?" Natsu asked. He grabbed a crumpled piece of paper from his bag. He smoothed it out on his desk. He reached his hand behind him. Some random nerd put a piece of paper in his hand. He started copying the answers.

"You guys were holding hands," Lisanna said bitterly. She's known Natsu since they were little, yet the crybaby caught his attention after one day. Or so she thought.

"It's no big deal," Natsu said, not even looking up from his paper.

Lucy felt a pang in her chest. Natsu grabbed her hand, not the other way around. He didn't even mean anything by it. She thought he was trying to be nice, but apparently not.

"I mean, she was scared and nervous, so I held her hand," Natsu reexplained. Lucy let out a breath of relief. She was just over-thinking things. "Besides, isn't that what friends do?"

Lucy smiled.

She had a friend.

X

_From Yukino_

_U made a friend?!_

_To: Yukino_

_Yeah, I did. His name is Natsu._

_From Yukino_

_What?! What bout Rogue?_

_To: Yukino_

_Yukino..._

_From: Yukino_

_Fine, fine. Is he cute?_

_To: Yukino_

_Kinda..._

"Hey, Luce!"

Lucy almost jumped a foot out of her seat. She looked behind her and saw Natsu standing there, his usual grin on his face.

"Why don't you eat lunch at my table?" he offered.

It was Friday, officiously five days since Lucy arrived in Magnolia. She still wasn't used to the idea of being friends with Natsu, though. She still sat by herself at lunch and wouldn't talk to anyone. And Natsu still had to help Layla get her out of the car. Then he would always hold her hand on the way to class. It became their little routine; one Lucy wasn't fond of.

Lucy shook her head. She still hasn't said a complete word to anyone at the school, and she wasn't about to start.

"Oh, who are you texting?" Natsu asked, looking over her shoulder at her phone. He seemed to have forgotten about his offer to sit together. "Yukino?"

Lucy quickly locked her screen. She would have minded anyways, but she really didn't want him seeing their conversation, especially since it was about him.

Then her phone vibrated. It was from Sting, so she thought it was safe to look.

_From: Sting_

_Luuucccceeeeeeeeeeeee! You need to come home! We all miss you so much! Rogue won't even talk to us anymore! Pleeeassseeee!_

Lucy let out a small giggle. It was quiet enough that Natsu didn't hear it, though.

"Who's Rogue and Sting?" Natsu asked curiously, sitting in the seat beside Lucy.

_To: Sting_

_You know I can't. I wish I could. Tell Rogue I'm wearing the hoodie, okay?_

Lucy looked over to Natsu. She pulled her hood over her face more. Natsu was staring at her like she was his lunch.

"You say full sentences when texting?" Natsu asked. She didn't give any response. "So you aren't as shy as we all think you are."

"Hey, Flame-Head, stop harassing her!" a voice yelled.

Lucy looked up and saw Gray. Her face turned red when she saw that he wasn't wearing a shirt. That had to be against school rules. She figured she needed to inform them somehow. He could get in trouble.

"I ain't harassing her!" Natsu yelled standing up.

Lucy reached out and grabbed Natsu's shirt. Both boys looked at her. She slowly pointed to Gray.

"When did that happen?!" Gray exclaimed. He sighed and reached in Natsu's backpack, which was laying on the table, and pulled a shirt out. He quickly put it on.

Natsu looked at the confused look on Lucy's face. "That always happens. All of us keep spare shirts and shorts in our backpacks for him," he explained.

Lucy nodded, not really understanding. She didn't get why he stripped randomly, or why they would all keep clothing for him. It made more sense for him to keep it with him. Then again, it didn't seem like Natsu and Gray were friends, so she didn't get why they would help each other out.

"Are we all sitting over here today?" Lisanna asked, setting her tray on the table. Levy sat down, as well.

"Uh, sure," Gray said. He pulled out a chair and sat down beside Natsu, who sat back in his original seat.

Slowly, everyone filled in the seats. The juniors sat their as well. Lucy figured out that their names were Mira, Cana, and Jellal. The sophomores were Gray, Natsu, Lisanna, Levy, and Gajeel.

As everyone talked, Lucy started to feel overwhelmed with so many people. And they were loud. They laughed and talked and yelled at each other. Gajeel was just plain scaring her.

And without warning, she started crying.

Levy was the first to notice. "Lucy, are you okay?" she asked. Then everyone looked at the blonde, which made her cry just a little more.

"Luce, what's wrong?" Natsu asked. He could see a few tears falling on her lap. He couldn't see her eyes due to her hoodie, but he was sure they were soaked with tears.

Lucy grabbed her bag and ran off, not really wanting any more attention. She hated people seeing her cry, even though it happens often. She ran into the bathroom and curled up in a ball in the corner. She pulled out her phone and called Sting. Yukino would freak out, and Rogue would probably start swinging.

_"Lucy!"_ Sting said happily from the other line.

"St-Sting," Lucy stuttered, since she was still crying.

_"Luce? Lucy, what's wrong? Are you crying?"_

"I want to go home," she cried between hiccups.

_"Are you at school?"_

"I'm in the bathroom."

_"What made you cry?"_

Before Lucy could respond the door to the bathroom opened. A worried Lisanna and Mira ran inside. Lucy quickly hung up her phone. She rested her head on her bent knees and hugged herself tighter.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Mira asked soothingly, sitting beside Lucy. She gave her a side hug and started petting her hair.

"She won't answer us," Lisanna said sadly. "We can't get her to talk."

Then the bathroom door opened again. Natsu ran inside.

"Natsu!" Lisanna shrieked. "You can't come in here!"

Natsu just ignored her. He swapped places with Mira. "Did we scare you?" he asked. She nodded and leaned against his shoulder.

Mira and Lisanna exchanged smiles. Natsu got some response from Lucy. That was good.

"She's barely talked to any of us, and we all just sat by her. She doesn't like groups of people, especially new ones," Natsu explained.

"Guys, the bell is going to ring," Gray called from outside the bathroom.

"Come on, Luce, let's go," Natsu said. He helped her stand up. "Here, take my hand."

She smiled faintly and put her hand in his.

* * *

**I hope you are all liking this story so far. I know it's sort of uneventful so far. It's pretty much just Lucy crying. Well I promise you things will start happening soon :) And in case you all wanted to know, this story is named after the song Take my Hand by Simple Plans. A link to the AMV is on my profile.**

**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4 (5-19)

**I'm not going to mention who, but someone said that this story has way too much NaLu for a Gralu. Don't worry, it's all part of my plan. This story will actually show many pairings in it. There is a method to my madness, don't worry.**

* * *

Layla grabbed her car keys and purse, about to go get Lucy from school. Since it was Friday, she was planning on taking her out for ice cream or something. She did complete her first week at Fairy Tail, after all.

When Layla opened the door, she was greeted with three familiar faces. "What are you three doing here?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"We ditched school and drove over here as fast as possible," Sting said, scratching the back of his head.

"That's right, you did get your license, Rogue," Layla thought allowed. Rogue was actually a year older than Sting, Yukino, and Lucy.

"So is Lucy home?" Yukino asked.

"I was just about to go pick her up from school," Layla explained, holding up her keys.

"How about I go get her?" Rogue offered.

"Oh, would you?" Layla asked excitedly. "That would be wonderful!"

"Sting, let's stay here," Yukino suggested. "We wouldn't want Lucy exploding from happiness."

X

"Happy is not blue!" Gray yelled, hitting Natsu on the head.

"Yes he is! He matches Lucy's hoodie!" Natsu yelled back.

Lucy was standing in between Natsu and Gray, holding both of their hands. It seemed that everyone decided to slowly become Lucy's friend. It seemed like Gray was up first. He even let her hold his hand. She had to say, it was different than holding Natsu's. Holding Natsu's was nothing. But just the thought of holding Gray's made her face heat up. She didn't know why, though.

"You're an idiot," Gary sighed. He held open the door for Natsu and Lucy, not breaking their chain created by their hands linked.

"Do you see your mom?" Natsu asked, looking out at the curb. Only a few parents actually picked their children up, so it should have been easy to spot Layla, especially since she drove a bright blue mini-van.

Lucy shook her head. She looked at the line of cars. She saw an orange Ford truck, a dark purple Lamborghini Diablo, a silver Corolla...

She did a double-take on the Lamborghini. Her face lit up. She started running towards the car, dragging Natsu and Gray behind her. When she got closer, she could see someone leaning against the hood of the car, facing away from her.

"Who's that?" Natsu asked.

Lucy let go of their hands and ran up to the man. He looked at her just in time for her to jump at him. He easily caught her.

"Hey, Luce," he said.

"Rogue," she said quietly.

"Do you know this guy?" Natsu asked, stalking over. "I can't let you go home with a pedophile."

Gray looked at the man. He had long black hair that covered his one eye. He could see that the other was red. "Yeah, who are you? You look too young to be her father or something."

Rogue let Lucy go, setting her back on the ground. "Rogue Cheney," he introduced himself.

"Rogue?" Natsu asked, blinking a few times more than necessary. He remembered Lucy mentioning him in a text to Sting, whoever that was.

Rogue payed no mind to Natsu. He grabbed Lucy's backpack. "We better get home before Layla starts to wonder where we are," he said. Lucy got into the passenger seat.

"Home? You guys live together?" Natsu asked, question marks appearing above his head.

"No, you idiot," Gray said, bopping him on the head. "He's clearly visiting. Why would Lucy be so excited if they lived together?"

Natsu waved at Lucy, who waved back. Then the car sped off.

"I don't like him," Natsu mumbled.

Gray just rolled his eyes.

X

"What?! He's suppose to be in jail!" Sting yelled.

Yukino sighed and squeezed her temples. "Remind me why we're watching this movie?" she asked, rather annoyed. "Mr. Peanut Gallery here won't shut up!"

"It's okay," Lucy said quietly.

They were all sitting in Lucy's living room, watching a movie. Yukino was laying on the love-seat. Rogue was laying on his stomach on the floor. Sting was sitting against the love-seat. Lucy was sitting between his legs. Her head rested against his shoulder while he had his arms around her waist.

"What did I miss?" Layla asked, entering the room with five milkshakes magically balancing in her hands. She handed a vanilla to Yukino, a chocolate to Sting, and a strawberry to Lucy and Rogue. She drank a chocolate.

"Don't even get Sting started," Rogue sighted.

"You guys never change," Layla laughed. Sting was always the one that got worked up about movies.

"Why don't we play a board game instead?" Yukino suggested.

"I'll get one," Lucy said. She left Sting's arms and ran upstairs. She smiled when she entered her room. She had a pyramid bunk-bed in the back left corner, a closet beside it. A desk was positioned against the right wall, a book shelf beside it. Two bean-bags were thrown on the floor in the middle. Along the front wall, which would have the door, there was a cork board with a blanket thrown over it. She just noticed it, surprisingly. Nothing about her room has changed since she moved to Oak Town when she was younger, so she forgot about the board. She took the blanket down.

The board had a bunch of pictures on it. There was one of her and her mother, both sharing an ice cream cone. Another had her and a blonde boy. She was sleeping on his back. The rest of the pictures were of her with a little boy. They would be at the park in one picture, playing in her room in another, and always smiling wide. She sighed sadly. She already knew she met the boy at Fairy Tail, but he didn't seem to remember her. Of course she wouldn't say anything to him about it. That would be way out of her comfort zone. He did interact with her, but he showed no sign of remembering their childhood together.

"Lucy?" Sting asked, peaking into the room. He saw Lucy staring at the wall, crying. He immediately hugged her. "Hey, don't cry."

"I'm okay," Lucy said, pushing him away. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Just thinking."

"You never did tell me what made you cry earlier," he pointed out.

Lucy just shook her head and went to her closet. She pulled out a random board game. When she turned back around, she saw Sting looking at the cork board.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Wh-who?" Lucy stuttered, squeezing her eyes shut. She was hoping he wouldn't ask about the boy that appeared in most of the pictures.

"Him," Sting said, putting his finger on a picture.

Lucy sighed in relief. He was pointing to the blonde boy. "You've met him before," she said quietly.

"Oh! Isn't it-"

Lucy ran out of the room, not wanting to hear his name.

* * *

**I just want to let you guys know that I love you all so much. Your reviews mean so much to me! I hardly ever have a good day; they're usually pretty bad. I just love being able to come home and read your reviews. They are so sweet and make me feel so much better. And it's amazing that you guys have never even heard my voice or seen my face and you can say such nice things. It really makes me feel hopeful, you know? So, I'm going to share with you some of my favorite reviews for this story. I will be calling some people out!**

**yumehimeneverdies: OMG Kowareta-san! i loooove you soooo much for making so many GraLu stories! to be honest i'm one of your fans XD i just wanna say please continue this story! the idea of Lucy and Rogue in this story is super cute!**

**GrayLuForever: Yo, New Story Again You Should Became A World Class Author Your Stories Are Wonderful, Colorful And Everything. Congrats in The New Story And I'm sorry if i'm not reviewing fast well Update Sooner Or Later Bye Bye**

**There hasn't been many reviews for this story so far, so there aren't many to choose from. I love all your reviews, so don't feel bad that I didn't put your's up. I am going to start putting all my favorite reviews, so your's may appear! I may not even put the best ones. Don't think that you have to make an extravagant review. Actually, someone who always reviews something simple like "please update soon" is just as awesome as someone who posts a long review. **

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5 (5-27)

"You're going to be late for school," Lucy said, looking out the car window.

"I can afford to miss a day," Rogue said, turning into Fairy Tail's parking lot. "I already took Sting and Yukino home last night, remember?"

"You could have went home with them," Lucy said, picking at her shoelaces. She went to the mall with Yukino over the weekend, since the latter's never been to the one in Magnolia, and Lucy got a pair on yellow and purple DC high-tops.

"But then I couldn't take you to school today," Rogue pointed out, smiling slightly. He pulled up to the curb. He noticed a few people point at his car. He looked over to Lucy and saw that she was making no move to get out of the car. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to go," Lucy mumbled, hugging her knees tighter. She didn't care if Rogue was with her instead of Layla, she still didn't want to go to school

"Come on, you know you have to," Rogue sighed. Lucy shook her head. He turned the car off and got out of the car. He could hear whispers around. The one' he could hear we're people saying how attractive he was or how awesome his car was.

"Don't make me go," Lucy said quietly when Rogue opened her door.

"If this was Sabertooth we could ditch, but I would feel weird about it here," Rogue explained. He ran a hand through his hair. Then he got an idea. "Okay, at least give me a hug before I leave."

He was shocked at how fast Lucy was out of the car, her arms around his neck. He just smiled as hugged her back. He already had her backpack over his shoulder.

Lucy realized that he tricked her and sighed. "You're mean," she pouted.

Rogue just laughed and loosened his grip on her, creating a gap between them. "Hey, I'll see you again soon, okay?" She nodded. "Just call me if you want to talk." He kissed her forehead for a few seconds before giving her her backpack back. He shut her door gently and put his hands in his pockets.

"Rogue?" Lucy asked timidly. He looked over his shoulder and hummed. She looked down at the blue fabric of her hoodie, biting her lip.

"What is it?" Rogue asked, noticing that she was acting different. He turned around fully to face her.

Lucy reached out and lightly gripped the fabric of his shirt. He tilted his head in confusion. She reached up on the tips of her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth. Her face turned beat red, realizing what she just did. Before she could run towards the school, he had her face in his hands, kissing her again.

X

Lucy went to the library to eat that day. She assumed the whole school saw her with Rogue because everyone asked her about it. She wanted to eat in peace, so she figured the library was the best choice. No one would have approached her with Natsu there, but he wasn't in school, which led her to sit in the far corner of the library with her bento box. She pulled out her math book so she could try to understand the homework assigned earlier in the day.

"Need some help?"

Lucy looked up and saw Gray sitting across from her, smiling. She looked down and nodded shyly. He moved over beside her, which made her tense up.

"You're in luck, because I am very good at math," he said, still smiling at her, making her heart practically melt. "I know, I don't look like a nerd. I swear I'm not."

Lucy pulled her hood farther over her face, not wanting him to see her smile. She loved his sense of humor.

They spent the next half-hour doing math. Gray was about to rip his hair out. Lucy was about to start crying. She did not understand at all. If anything, she was worse off from when they started.

"You need serious help," Gray sighed. Lucy nodded sadly. "So what time?" Her head snapped to face him. He laughed. "When are we going to meet-up so I can help you? I need more than thirty minutes to help you out. I mean, you still don't know the difference between a square and a trapezoid."

Lucy couldn't believe that he still wanted to help her. She knew he was nice, but she didn't realize he was _that_ nice. She shrugged.

"Why not tonight then? I hear we are having a pop quiz tomorrow," he offered. She blushed and nodded. It was really soon. "So your house or mine?"

Lucy took a deep breathe. "M-mine," she stuttered.

"Whoa, she speaks!" Gray laughed. "So I guess I'll just ride home with you? I know your mom takes you home every day."

Lucy's face paled. She was taking a boy home to her mother that wasn't Sting or Rogue. She would die of embarrassment by the end of the night.

X

"Was it just me, or were a bunch of girls glaring at you?" Gray asked. He was walking out of the school with Lucy and, of course, holding her hand, since Natsu wasn't there to do it.

Lucy just shrugged. Of course people were glaring at her. One minute they think she is dating Natsu, the next she is kissing a random guy outside of the school, and then she turns around and holds Gray's hand. Not to mention that Gray was carrying both of their backpacks. She wasn't going to tell all that to Gray, though.

"I see your mom," Gray announced. Sure enough, Layla got out of her blue mini-van and waved to Lucy.

"Hey, ready to go?" Layla asked, smiling at Lucy. Lucy nodded. "Thanks for walking her out," she said to Gray.

"He's coming home with us," Lucy said quietly, looking at the ground. Layla looked to Gray for an explanation, knowing Lucy wouldn't give one.

"I was going to help her with Geometry," Gray explained. He noticed that Layla was looking at him especially funny.

"Alright then, let's go," Layla said skeptically. She felt like she's seen him from somewhere.

Lucy let go of Gray's hand and got into the front seat, hugging her knees to her chest. Gray sat in the middle sit in the back, but not the very back. Layla sighed and got into the driver's seat. She was wondering if Lucy would be extra quite now that Gray was there.

Gray loved Lucy's house. It was a brown two-story house. The door and shutters were a touch darker shade then the walls of the house. The yard seemed to be the perfect size. He could tell the house was freshly painted.

"We're home!" Layla announced when they all entered the house. Gray saw a man come to the front door. He kissed Layla's cheek and smiled at Lucy. When he looked at Gray, his face seemed to drop just a little.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Jude, be nice," Layla said. "This is Lucy'a friend. He's going to help her with some schoolwork."

"I've heard that excuse before," Jude said, glaring at Gray.

Layla sighed. She wasn't exactly sure where Jude's heard the excuse, considering Lucy has brought home very few friends. And every time she did, she made no excuse at all. Well, the friend made no excuse. Lucy never really talked.

"Why don't you two go to the dining room and work?" Layla asked. Lucy silently led Gray to the requested room.

"Your parents seem nice," Gray noted, setting both backpacks on the table. Lucy shrugged and sat down. Gray sat beside her. "So are you always this quiet, even around your family?"

Lucy nodded and got her math book out of her backpack.

"You talk sometimes, though, right?" Gray asked nervously. He couldn't imagine someone always staying silent, especially a girl. He wasn't stereotyping, but he's never met a girl that didn't talk a lot. He didn't expect her to be as outgoing as his friends, but he figured she would talk a little or even in a higher voice than a whisper.

Lucy nodded, sort of contradicting herself.

"You've said one word to me," he pointed out. "I want to hear you say a full sentence. I don't even know what your voice sounds like."

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia." She realized that he never really got a proper introduction, so she figured that would work. Of course, no one really did.

Gray smiled, knowing why she chose to say what she did. "I'm Gray Fullbuster, temporary Geometry teacher," he said. Lucy giggled quietly.

From the other room, Layla and Jude smiled at each other. Of course they would listen-in on Gray and Lucy'a conversation. That's the responsible thing to do, right?

X

"Okay, so you're starting to understand," Gray said, looking at Lucy's paper. He's been at her house for almost two hours, and she was making some progress. They weren't even close to working on her homework yet, though.

Lucy nodded and took her paper back. She started working on the next set of problems. She always considered herself to be smart, but she was never good at math.

"Hey, can I use your bathroom?" Gray asked.

"It's the last door upstairs," Layla said, setting two cups of lemonade on the table.

On his way back downstairs after using the bathroom, Gray noticed that Lucy's bedroom door was opened. He didn't hesitate to step inside. He flipped the light on. He looked around her room curiously. His eyes landed on what appeared to be a cork board covered with a blanket. He took the fabric off and looked at the pictures. He scrunched his face in confusion. It looked like he was in some of them. No, he was in most of them. He was sure it was him, but that didn't make sense. He was sure he's never seen Lucy before she was crying in his classroom.

It sounded like someone was coming up the stairs. He quickly grabbed one of the pictures and put the blanket back in place. He ran out of the room just in time to see Jude going up the stairs. Gray casually waved and continued walking. It seemed like Jude didn't see him exit Lucy's room, which was good.

"Okay, where were we?" Gray asked when he reentered the dining room. He picked up Lucy's paper to check her problems.

The picture in his pocket felt like a thousand bricks. He just didn't understand. How could he have been friends with Lucy and not remember her?

* * *

**I'm sorry I haven't updated lately! I have a whole list of reasons, actually. My birthday was last week and I had parties for that, finals and state tests are coming up, and I just didn't have time to write! So please forgive me! And until further notice, I will only be updating once a week! **

**And in other news...**

**I made a Facebook page! I'll give you guys updates, share cool pictures, and just interact with you guys on a whole new level. The link is on my profile or you can search my username and the page will come up. I know you guys liking it will kind of take the whole "anonymous" thing away from FanFiction, but let's be honest. I'm just a nerd with no life. I in no way know how to hack, nor do I have the desire to. I'm really no threat to you guys. Besides, I'm a (now) fifteen-year-old girl. What am I going to do? **

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6 (6-7)

Gray rubbed his thumb over the picture in his hands. In the picture, Lucy was asleep on his back. He was smiling with a slight blush on his cheeks. Gray's been looking at the picture in his free time for almost a week. He was just looking for some proof in the picture that it wasn't him. Everything screamed that it was him, though. The hair shade was perfect, his eyes matched, and the grin. It was him, but he wouldn't accept that fact.

"Gray, it's time to go home," Lisanna said, putting a hand on Gray's shoulder. The bell to end school just rang, but he made no attempt to move.

"Sorry," Gray quickly said, putting the picture back in his pocket.

"Don't forget that we are meeting at the mall after school," Lisanna reminded him.

"Yeah, I didn't forget," Gray said, picking up his backpack.

"Alright, see you later!" Lisanna called, already out the door.

Gray sighed and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"G-Gray?" a timid voice asked.

"Hmm?" Gray hummed, looking over his shoulder. He saw Lucy standing there. She was hugging herself and looking off to the right. "Oh yeah, I was going to help you with math again after school."

"Y-yeah," Lucy agreed.

"Well, afterwards, you're going to the mall with me, okay?" Gray asked. He saw her face turn as red as a tomato. "Er, I mean with the group." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I didn't mean a date, or anything."

Lucy grabbed his hand, letting him know he could shut up and leave the room and stop talking.

X

"Now that we are all here," Mira said, smiling at Lucy. The blonde just hid her face under her hood. "I think we should all shop!"

All the guys groaned. The girls just laughed. Lucy was a bit indifferent.

"Okay, we need to partner up," Mira continued. "One girl and one guy."

"Do we have to?" Natsu whined. When they paired up like that, the guy just ended up carrying all the girl's bags.

"It isn't that bad," Loke said, pushing his glasses farther up his face.

"Btu you're also gay," Gajeel pointed out.

"I'm not gay!" Loke yelled, blushing.

"Anyways, I'll pick the partners~" Mira sang. She put a finger to her lip as she thought. "Lisanna and Natsu, of course. I'll go with Freed."

Lucy looked up and, for the first time, noticed the guy with green hair. She was pretty sure she's seen him around school, but she wasn't quiet sure. He looked like he wouldn't be fun to hang out with, but since Mira hung out with him, he couldn't be that bad. She couldn't imagine Mira hanging out with a boring person, just because she was so bubbly.

"...and Lucy."

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her name. She noticed everyone stand up, the girls looking happy and the guys looking pretty bored and annoyed. She looked around nervously, not sure what was happening. She was assuming everyone just got their partners, but she wasn't sure who she was with.

"Earth to Lucy," Gray said.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw Gray's face right in front of her's. She shrieked and jerked back, her chair falling over. Gray was standing behind her, so he easily caught her.

Gray started laughing. "I didn't know you were such a spaz," he laughed. Seeing the annoyed and embarrassed face of Lucy, he stopped laughing. "So where do you want to go?"

"What?" Lucy asked quietly.

"We all split up so the girls could shop. Aren't you into that?" Gray asked. Lucy shook her head. He sighed in relief. "I love you right now," he said, slumping into the chair next to Lucy's.

Lucy found herself blushing at his innocent comment. She knew he wasn't serious, but she still felt her face heat up. She cautiously looked over to him and saw that he had his had resting on the table in his arms, his eyes closed. She thought he looked pretty cute the way his hair fell over his face. She smiled. She couldn't deny the fact that she liked Gray when they were younger. She knew he didn't remember her, though. He never showed any sign that he did. There was no heartwarming hug when she first walked into the classroom or anything. He just acted like he was meeting her for the first time. Of course, she was a completely different person, so it was like meeting her for the first time.

Lucy sighed and rested her cheek on her hand. She reached out and moved his hair out of his eyes and behind his ears. His hair was just long enough. She let out a small giggle. He sort of looked like a girl. She still thought he looked cute, though.

Gray opened one of his eyes. "What are you doing exactly?" he asked. He was almost asleep, too.

Lucy blushed, realizing she was caught. She pulled her hood over her eyes and put her forehead on the table.

Gray brought his head back up. "Come on," he laughed. "It's okay." He lifted her hood off he head, pulling her face up in the process. He put his head back on the table. Shocking Lucy, he started twirling her hair with his index finger.

"G-Gray?" Lucy stuttered, her face becoming increasingly red. She was honestly afraid to look at him.

"Hey, do you want to get ice cream?" Gray asked. He noticed how soft her hair was. "We might as well do something, right?"

Lucy smiled and nodded.

Gray let Lucy's hair go and stood up. Lucy flipped her hood up and stood beside him. He held his hand out to her, and she accepted it.

As they walked through the mall, Lucy remembered her time with Yukino. Yukino had so much fun, and Lucy was glad she was apart of it. The only complaint she had was that Yukino felt the need to talk about Rogue the whole time, which Lucy got very embarrassed about.

"What can I get for you two?"

Lucy realize that they were already at the small ice cream shop. She didn't even realize that Gray let got of her hand. He was crouched down, looking at the menu that was painted on the front of the counter. She knelt down beside him, looking at the many options.

"What do you want?" Gray asked. He already knew what he wanted. He was just pretending to look so Lucy didn't feel rushed. He had a feeling she's never been there before, so she wouldn't know the menu.

"Damn, you take forever," the cashier and owner sighed, jokingly tapping his finger on the counter.

"Can it, Macao," Gray said, laughing along.

"You just take forever," Macao laughed.

"Come on, it's not like I haven't been coming here since I was five. You already know what I want," Gray said.

Lucy'a eyes widened. She looked up at Macao. That's when she remembered. Gray's dad always took them to get ice cream here, since he was great friends with Macao. Lucy even remembered what Gray always got. It was a mint chocolate chip cone.

"I know, I know," Macao said, punching buttons on the cash register. "A strawberry cone with extra sprinkles."

Lucy's eyes widened once again. That's what she always got. She remembered that when she was little Gray would always say how much he hated strawberry. She couldn't believe that he would order that.

"Did you decide what you want?" Gray asked Lucy.

Lucy pointed to the mint chocolate chip cone on the menu. She didn't see it, but Gray flinched. He didn't know why she would pick that. He knew that he always got it as a kid. He couldn't remember when, but at one point he just started wanting strawberry instead. Something inside him told him to get that. It tasted bad at first, but he got over it. He just couldn't bare to order anything else, and he wasn't sure why.

"Is that the mint chocolate one?" Macao asked, leaning over the counter to see where Lucy was pointing. When he saw Gray nod, he punched a few more buttons. Then he went to get the ice cream.

Once again, Gray felt the weight of the picture in his back pocket.

"Here you go," Macao said, handing Gray the two cones.

"Thanks," Gray said.

"That'll be five dollars," Macao said.

"Lucy, will you grab my wallet? It's in my back pocket," Gray asked, licking his cone.

Lucy blushed but nodded. She timidly reached into his back pocket. She blushed more when she realized she reached in the wrong one. She didn't exactly want to reach into every one of his pockets.

When she pulled his wallet out, she saw a piece of paper float to the ground. Gray's eyes widened.

"Wait-"

He was too late.

Lucy picked up the paper. Her hands started shaking. She felt a rush of different emotions. She felt touched that he carried a picture of them around. But at the same time she felt mad, just because he never shows any sign of remembering her, yet he carried that picture around. She couldn't even explain the other emotions. She did know that she felt awful. Tears started to roll out of her eyes. She threw the picture and his wallet at him and ran away.

"Shit," Gray cursed. He just dropped the ice cream and ran after her. Macao would understand. It's not like he would never come back again to pay, and the janitors would clean up the ice cream.

Lucy ran out the doors of the mall. She stumbled along the wall for a minute before sliding to the ground. She finally let out the sobs she's kept in for too many years. She would cry often, but never about two things. The first thing was leaving Gray.

"Luce," Gray said, standing over her. He sat down on the ground beside her, but didn't make any move to comfort her. "I'm really sorry. I just didn't understand why you had those pictures of us together. I took one without thinking."

Lucy's heart practically stopped. He didn't know why they were together in the pictures. Wasn't it obvious? They were best friends.

"You don't know?" she asked quietly, her voice cracking.

"I mean, I figured I would remember you, but I don't," Gray confessed. "Shit, I mean-" Gray just stopped talking. He didn't know what he meant. He honestly didn't remember her.

Lucy wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She silently stood up and started walking away, her hands shoved in her pockets.

"Lucy, where are you going?" Gray called to her, jumping to his feet. She just quickened her pace. "Hey, come back!" he yelled. For some reason his feet didn't want to move.

Gray turned around and punched the wall behind him. He felt the skin of his knuckles split open, but he didn't care. He felt like an idiot. He just watched her walk away.

* * *

**Yes, so the childhood friend is Gray, if you haven't figured it out already. I would hope you have. **

****Now, if you read _Meister and Reaper_, just know that I will not be updating that today. I actually haven't written the fourth chapter. I got a couple nasty comments, and I want to be able to correct what they rudely complained about. Just know that I'll work on that and try to get it up soon.****

****Please Review!****


	7. Chapter 7 (6-10)

Gray slammed his front door, stalking into his house.

"Gray, you're home," Ur said with a smile.

Gray just walked past her.

"I was talking to you," Ur said, following him. When they got to his room, he slammed his door in her face.

He flopped down onto his bed. So many thoughts were swirling around in his head, but he couldn't seem go catch any of them. Right after Lucy ran off, Natsu and Lisanna found him outside. Macao told them where he was. But instead of Gray telling them what happened, he just ran to the bus stop and went home.

Ur opened up the door She sat on Gray's bed, a soft look in her eyes.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she asked. She brushed his hair out of his eyes. Gray swatted her hand away. "Did something happen?"

Gray rolled onto his side so his back was facing her. "No. Go away," he said coldly.

"Are you having girl troubles?" Ur asked, just guessing. When she saw Gray tense up, she knew she was right. "Okay, what's the story?"

"Nothing fucking happened," Gray hissed between clenched teeth.

"Okay, I know you're upset, but there is no need to swear," Ur said.

Gray sighed. He forgot that Ur didn't let him swear. He could only do it when she wasn't around.

"If you don't tell me what's wrong, I'll just go get Ultear. You know how your sister gets when-"

"She's not my sister," Gray said bitterly.

"Excuse me?" Ur asked, completely shocked. "She is your sister!"

"Can you just leave already?" Gray sighed. He really just wanted to be alone to attempt to sort out his thoughts.

"Is she pretty?" Ur asked, trying to take a different approach.

"I've never seen a prettier girl," Gray said, playing with the corner of his pillow. He didn't even realize that Ur was about to trick him into talking.

"I bet thats the only reason you like her," Ur said with a smirk. She knew just how to get him to talk.

Gray rolled over to his other side, but didn't meet Ur's eyes. "Of course not," he said.

"What even makes her so special?" Ur asked.

"She's really shy. She always had her hood up and will barely talk. She only ever said one sentence to me. But even so, she's the sweetest girl I know. She's like a scared little bunny, though. If you put her in a large group she'll run off. And she won't walk anywhere unless she's holding someone's hand. But it's really just the way she'll smile or laugh but try to hide it. It's the cutest thing ever." Gray didn't even realize that he was rambling, or that he was smiling like an idiot. "But I really hurt her. But it's not like I forgot about her on purpose. We were just kids."

Ur smiled. She loved how love-sick he was. But then she processed the last thing he said. Her smile dropped. "Wait, what? A childhood friend?" she asked.

"Apparently," Gray said. "I don't remember her, though."

"Honey, that happens more times than you know," Ur sighed. Gray sat up quickly. "When a traumatic event happens to a small child, they just forget everything, not wanting to think about anything. You are probably just trying to forget your childhood, her included."

Gray thought about what Ur said. It made sense. When his parents died in that plane crash, he was so torn apart. Having to move in with Ur, a new family, was just terrifying. She was right. He did try to forget. He never even considered that there might be something good to remember about his childhood.

"I'm going to go cook dinner. Come down if you feel like it," Ur said. She kissed Gray's forehead and took her leave.

Gray laid back down. He closed his eyes, remembering the childhood he tried so hard to forget.

X

Lucy looked up and realized that she was already home. She wiped her face again before walking inside.

"Lucy, what happened?!" Layla asked worriedly. She was just going to put her shoes on.

Lucy looked like a mess. At some point during her walk home, which lasted way longer than it should have due to her just wandering around, it started to pour down rain. Many cars passed her and splashed mud on her, dirtying her clothes. At one point two squirrels attacked her, tearing her cat hoodie to shreds, which she wasn't happy about. She tripped a few times, getting bruises on her bare legs. Her shorts even got a tear in them. And to top it off, her eyes were puffy and red from crying so much.

"What happened to Lucy?" Jude asked worriedly. He was also going to the door to put shoes on.

"Mom," Lucy cried, latching on to Layla. Layla hugged Lucy back, not even careing that her fancy dress was getting muddy. Since it was a Friday night, Layla and Jude were going to go out for dinner.

"Go get Lucy cleaned up," Jude said. "I'll go call and tell our friends we aren't coming."

"No," Lucy said, backing away from Layla. "You guys go. I wanted to be alone anyways."

"We can't-"

"Alright," Layla agreed, interrupting Jude. "I can tell you need some time to think something out. I'll go change then we can leave, Jude."

Lucy walked slowly up to her room. She pealed off all of her clothes. She changed into a pair of yoga shorts and a blue cotton shirt. Then she went to turn the bathwater on. When the tub filled up, she shut the water off and went downstairs. Her parents were already gone. She was going to grab a bottle of water from the fridge when the doorbell ran. She sighed and went to the door.

When Lucy opened the door, she was just as shocked as Gray was. She couldn't believe that he was standing there, on her porch, soaking wet, in the rain. She pulled him inside without thinking.

"Lucy, I-I'm so sorry," Gray said, seeing how awful she looked. He was sure there was mud caked in her hair. He didn't know how it got there, but he figured it happened when she was walking home.

"Why...here?" Lucy asked, not forming a full sentence.

"I needed to talk to you," Gray said, understanding what she meant. He was beginning to get used to her broken language.

Lucy but her lip, weighing her options. At the moment, it seemed that the best idea was to get Gray in dry clothes. She really didn't want him to get sick. She grabbed his hand and walked upstairs. She made him sit on her desk chair before leaving the room. She came back a minute later with one of Jude's shirts.

"Thanks," Gray said, taking the shirt. He was touched that she cared about him, even though she was most likely mad at him.

Lucy went to the bathroom to get him a dry towel while he changed. She completely forgot about the bath water. She just drained the tub, deciding she probably wouldn't be taking one while the water was still hot.

When Lucy came back into her room, she saw that Gray hadn't moved. She set the towel on his head. He thanked her again before drying his hair. She went over and dug through her closet. She was sure she had a pair of pants in there for him. Sting split spaghetti on his pants that weekend he was over, so Layla washed them, but she forgot to give them back. She figured Gray would fit into them.

"Why do you have these?" Gray asked when she handed then to him. He realized she wasn't going to answer and decided not to overthink it. He already guessed if was from Sting or Rogue. When Lucy turned back around he quickly changed his pants. She threw his clothes in her laundry basket, knowing she would probably wash her clothes later that night.

"Okay, we really need to talk," Gray said, putting the towel in the basket as well.

Lucy sat on the bed and patted beside her. Gray moved beside her. He looked to her cork board and sighed.

"I'm really sorry I forgot about you," Gray started. "I really didn't mean to, though. Um, I guess I'll explain who Ur is first. So a couple months after you moved my parents and brother, Lyon, died in a plane crash. So I was sent to another family. I guess you could say Ur is my new mom and Kyle is my new dad. And now I have an older sister Ultear. She's in eleventh grade at a private school. And Wendy is in fifth grade. Anyways, Ur told me that a lot of kids do this, but I sort of just forgot my whole childhood because I didn't want to remember my parents. I guess she was right. I remember everything now, though."

Lucy was in shock. She couldn't believe that his parents ad Lyon died. Lyon was two years older than Gray, so he was pretty young when he died. She could remember Gray's family going to these trips but leaving Gray with her. Layla and Jude were good friends with Gray's parents, so of course they would agree to watch him. Lucy was almost glad Gray never went with them.

"Lucy, please forgive me," Gray pleaded. He looked at Lucy and saw that her face looked sad and shocked. He figured she was still processing that his family was dead.

Then, without warning, Lucy latched herself onto Gray. She tightly hugging his neck, crying onto his shoulder. He hugged her waist, sighing in content. He's felt like he's been missing something for a long time, but now he's found it.

Gray looked over to the clock on Lucy's desk. "Luce, it's almost ten at night. I should probably go home before Ur and Kyle worry. And I'm not sure when your parents will be home, but I couldn't imagine them being happy with a guy being with you this late."

Lucy shook her head. She wanted him to stay. But there was one thing she wanted more than him go stay...

"Can you cook?" she asked quietly. She felt like a monster was in her stomach because it was growling so much.

Gray couldn't help but laugh. "I'll make us something," he said. He was actually pretty hungry, too. He never did eat dinner.

Gray stood up, still holding on to Lucy's waist. She thought she was going to fall, so she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her downstairs and set her on the kitchen counter. He looked through her fridge, seeing what he could make.

Thirty minutes later, Gray and Lucy were sitting in the living room, two plates of chicken stir-fry on the coffee table with two cans of Pepsi. The two ate in silence. The only thing that was heard was the clicking of their silverware on their plates.

"Tell a story," Lucy said quietly when the were finished. She put her feet up on the couch under herself and leaned against Gray.

Gray thought for a moment. "There was this one time..."

Lucy wasn't even listening to the story. She just let the sound of Gray's voice lull her to sleep.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 8 (6-16)

Gray slowly opened his eyes. He looked around, wondering where he was. He definitely wasn't in his house. His head was resting on a pillow, and he figured out he was laying on a couch. He looked down to his waist to see Lucy. She was hugging his hips, fast asleep. He blushed when he saw where her head was. He quickly shook the thought from his head and sat up. He pulled Lucy with him so she was sitting in his lap, her head resting on his chest. He started running his fingers through her hair, which was still never washed.

"So I wasn't dreaming."

Gray looked up and saw Layla leaning against the doorway to the room, a smile on her face.

"I thought that I was going crazy, but I guess not." Layla walked over and sat on the other couch in the room. "Don't worry, Jude had one too many beers last night to know that you were here. He's still sleeping."

"Uh, thanks," Gray said nervously. He wished Lucy was awake to get him out of the awkward situation.

"See, I had a feeling she was crying over you. That's why I made sure she was home alone. I knew you would stop by. You never do change," Layla laughed.

"Wait, you remember me?" Gray asked.

"I never forgot," Layla said, a wide smile on her face. "And neither has Lucy."

Gray looked down to the girl in his arms. He wondered what happened to her. She wasn't so shy before.

"Before you ask, I don't know either," Layla said, reading Gray's mind. "I can't even remember when she became so shy."

"Hmm" Lucy mumbled, snuggling closer to Gray.

"Thanks for taking care of her. I'm counting on you," Layla said. She took the plates from the coffee table and walked to the kitchen, knowing Lucy was going to wake up.

Sure enough, with a yawn, Lucy woke up. She rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hand and rested her head on Gray's chest again.

"You still tired?" Gray asked, brushing some hair out of her eyes. She yawned again, which was answer enough for Gray. "Ur is probably worried sick. I should probably call her." Gray went to get up, but Lucy held tightly into his arm.

"Hmm, don't go," she mumbled.

Gray just sighed and picked her up, bringing her along with him. He went up to Lucy's room to get his phone, since he set it on her desk the night before. He sighed when he saw a bunch of texts and calls from Ur. He texted her back, telling her where he was, asking if she could pick him up. He couldn't wait until he got his license.

Ur replied, saying she would be there in an hour. He was just hoping Jude didn't wake up before then.

X

Gray smiled at Lucy. She was wearing his orange hoodie with, of course, the hood up. Since her old one got destroyed by squirrels, he figured he could lend her one. They were also holding hands. They did almost every day, when Natsu wasn't, but now it was different. Natsu couldn't hold her hand now. Of course, Gray was still convinced Lucy would be too shy to admit that they were technically dating, so he just planned on keeping that a secret for the time being.

When they got to lunch, everyone was already there. They were all having their usual conversations, of course, since to them it was a normal day. Lisanna and Levy were happily talking, Natsu and Gajeel were bickering about something irrelevant, Loke was flirting with girls as they passed, and Erza was too busy chatting with Jellal to scold the boys for being stupid and flirting.

"Hey," Gray said, taking his seat by Natsu. Lucy sat beside him, scooting an inch closer to Gray. No one noticed, except for Gray. She just got her bento box out and tried to ignore the stupid and adorable grin on his face.

"You guys are late," Levy pointed out.

"Gildharts caught us in the hallway and made us run some errands," Gray said, stretching his arms above his head.

"Gray, your shirt," Jellal said. He continued his conversation with Erza the moment after he spoke.

"Gah! When did that happen?!" Gray exclaimed, looking down at his bare chest.

Lucy blushed, looking away from Gray. She pushed his shirt towards him. "You took if off on the way here," she mumbled only loud enough for Gray to hear.

"So, are we all going to that mini golf place after school?" Mira asked, once again taking charge of the activities the group did.

Lucy was the only one that disagreed. Rogue, Sting, and Yukino were coming over for the weekend. She looked at Gray, hoping he remembered. He was over when Sting called to tell her they're coming, so he knew.

"That's right, Lucy can't come," Gray said. He forgot about Lucy's friends coming over.

"They can come along. The more the merrier, right Mira?" Lisanna asked. Mira nodded happily in agreement.

X

"Lucy!" Layla called. "Your friends are here!"

Lucy ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She was wearing Gray's orange hoodie, a pair of black super skinny jeans, and brown boots. She was all ready to go to the mini golf place.

Sting was the first to hug Lucy. The second he saw her he picked her up and spun her around. "Damn, school is so boring! I miss you so much!" he said. He stopped spinning her and just hugged her, his nose buried in her hair. He was glad that she still smelled like strawberries. Of course, he wasn't sure how she would change that fast.

"Okay, my turn," Yukino said, pulling Sting away. She smiled and hugged Lucy. The blonde smiled and hugged her back. "Rogue told me about your little kiss," she whispered in the blonde's ear.

Lucy was blushing so bad her ears were red. Yukino let her go and gently pushed her to Rogue. He cautiously hugged her. But once he did, he hugged her tightly as if never planning to let go. "We need to talk later tonight," he whispered to her. Lucy wasn't sure how many things were going to be whispered to her. She nodded, none the less.

"You four should probably get going" Layla said. Lucy quickly separated herself from Rogue. "You guys are already going to be late as it is."

"Then let's get going," Rogue said, getting his car keys from his pocket. The four quickly went to his car. Sting sat up front, since the girls would fit in the back together the best. The back seats weren't very big, since it was a sports car. Sting talked the whole way there.

When they got there, Lucy was becoming increasingly nervous. She wasn't sure how or why she kissed Rogue. She wasn't even sure if Gray knew about the kiss. She wasn't quite sure what it meant, either. Whatever possessed her to kiss her to begin with, she seemed to have sparked something in Rogue. Why else would he kiss her again? It was all just confusing to her.

"Lucy, over here!" Natsu called, waving the blonde over.

And then she remembered that her friends didn't even know about her and Gray. They weren't aware that they were childhood friends, or that they were technically dating. That just made things worse. She felt like she was dating two people at once, when she technically wasn't.

"Hi," Lucy said shyly, nervously switching her weight from foot to foot.

"I'm Yukino," Yukino introduced herself. She knew Lucy wouldn't do it. "This is Sting and Rogue."

Lisanna happily introduced everyone of her group, also knowing that Lucy wouldn't introduce them.

"So what do we all want to do first?" Mira asked. "We can eat, play mini golf, ride the go karts, ride bumper carts, or play laser tag."

"Let's play laser tag!" Natsu said excitedly.

Everyone seemed to agree. Lucy noticed Gray and Rogue both take a step towards her, more than likely planning to hold her hand. She quickly linked arms with Yukino and walked with her. Gray and Rogue both seemed a bit surprised. They looked at each other for a moment before following everyone else. They weren't quite sure what just happened.

"How about girls against guys?" Levy suggested.

"Hell yeah!" Sting cheered, bumping his fist in the air.

Everyone laughed and went over to pay for the game. They were all given their vests and guns. The boys were red and the girls were blue. The course was in a giant room. There were many twists and turns, along with stairs leading to a second and third floor.

"Okay, girls, we are going to beat them into next week!" Cana said. The girls were on the third floor, making a plan.

"There is no way we can beat them," Yukino said, shaking her head. "They have Rogue and Sting."

"So what?" Levy asked.

"Rogue is amazing at shooting stuff. He's went to a national shooting competition and got second place. Then his team won nationals for laser tag. Yes, it's a thing. And Sting was on his laser tag team. And don't get me started on all the video games he plays. We are doomed."

"That may be true, but I know how to beat them," Mira said, an evil glint in her eyes.

Meanwhile, the boys were on the first floor.

"Okay, so we need to be prepared," Natsu said. "The girls never play fair. They will play dirty and trick us."

"Don't worry," Sting said. "We're on your team."

"No amount of skill can prepare you for this," Jellal said, shivering slightly.

When the game started, the girls laughed and ran separate ways. The boys were way more careful. Lucy was the only one that stayed in place, sitting in the corner. She was a little frightened to participate. Mira and Cana had some weird ideas.

Lucy jumped when someone came around the corner. She relaxed slightly when it was Rogue. He had his gun up, but he put it down when he saw that it was just Lucy.

"Hey, why aren't you playing?" he asked, crouching down beside her.

"I don't like how they play," Lucy said. She was blushing slightly due to the fact that they were pretty close and alone.

"You don't have to play like them. Just walk around and shoot people," Rogue said, smiling. He thought it was funny that she would rather sit in the corner than play.

Then another person came around the corner. Lucy looked up and saw Gray. He put his gun down, too.

"Hey, what's going on?" Gray asked worriedly. "Are you hurt of something?" He went over and sat down beside her.

"N-no," Lucy squeaked out. Now Gray was with her. That made things even worse.

"That's good," Gray sighed. "I just managed to get away from Lisanna."

Lucy looked between Rogue and Gray. She was becoming increasingly nervous about the situation. She did the only thing she could thing of. She put her gun to Rogue's chest and pressed the button. There was a loud noise, letting him know he was shot. Gray started laughing. Then Lucy did the same to him.

Then the loud buzzer ran again, signaling the end of the game. Lucy quickly got up and ran towards the exit.

She managed to get away from Rogue and Gray, but Rogue still wanted to talk to her that night. She would be lying if she said she wasn't completely nervous and worried.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9 (6-22)

Lucy peaked her head out of the bathroom. She his took a shower, and she was planning to make a run for her room. She knew that Rogue, Sting, and Yukino would probably end up sleeping in her room anyways, but if she got there early enough she could be asleep before they get there. And if even she didn't fall asleep, she could at least pretend.

It didn't look like anyone was in the hallway, so she ran to her room. She quickly shut the door and sighed. She wasn't seen.

"You can't avoid me forever."

Lucy squeaked in surprise. She turned around and saw Rogue standing there. "R-Rogue," she stuttered. She couldn't believe that he knew her master plan. She thought it was fool proof, but apparently it wasn't.

"Lucy," Rogue sighed. He crossed his arms and turned around. "I'm not going to lie. I really like you. I don't know if-"

Rogue stopped talking when he felt Lucy hug him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that she was hugging his waist, her face buried in his back. He smiled faintly. He wasn't sure if that was Lucy telling him that she liked him to or just that everything was okay.

"I don't know, Rogue," Lucy said quietly. She wouldn't deny that she liked Rogue. But she had Gray.

"It's okay," Rogue said. He turned around with her still hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"You are so pathetic, you know that?" Yukino laughed, entering the room, Sting right behind. She looked at Rogue and Lucy and smiled. "Are we interrupting?" she asked in a teasing voice.

Lucy blushed and hugged Rogue tighter, burying her face. She knew Yukino would never let it go.

"Hey, since when do you get Lucy!" Sting asked angrily, crossing his arms. "I want to spend time with her too." He puffed out his cheeks. "You and Yukino are always with her, but I'm like the fourth wheel."

"Aw, Sting, you aren't the fourth wheel," Yukino said, ruffling his hair. "You're the fifth! Layla is the fourth."

"Yukino," Sting whined, pushing her away. She just laughed and hugged him.

"Okay, you guys need to get to bed," Layla said, putting a hand on Yukino and Sting's heads. "Boys get to sleep downstairs."

"I'm being separated from Lucy again," Sting sighed. Yukino sweat dropped.

"Lucy, you have to let me go," Rogue laughed. He would have broken the hug minutes ago, but Lucy had him in a death grip.

Lucy let Rogue go and buried her face in her hands. When Sting and Rogue left, she let her hands drop to her side. Yukino closed the door and hopped on the bed.

"So are you and Rogue official?" Yukino asked excitedly.

Lucy groaned and payed on the bed face-first. "I have no clue," she admitted. She rested her chin on her hands.

"How do you not know?" Yukino asked. "It seems pretty straightforward to me. I mean, you guys kissed and all."

"But Gray..."Lucy said.

"Gray? Do you mean the kid with black hair?" Yukino asked. Lucy nodded. "There's something between you two?"

"We were friends when we were younger." Lucy pointed to her cork board. Yukino got up and went to look at the pictures. "We've hugged a few times. And we always hold hands. I used to with Natsu, but this is different."

"Are you and Gray official?" Yukino asked. She loved the pictures. They were all so cute.

"He didn't come right out and say it," Lucy mumbled. She really wasn't sure.

"How long has it been since it was implied?" Yukino moved back over beside Lucy.

"I guess a week." It was the weekend before that Gray spent the night, so she figured it would be a week.

"Has he made any move to kiss you?" Yukino smiled when she saw Lucy blush.

Lucy shook her head. Yukino's smile dropped.

"You've already kissed Rogue, though," Yukino pointed out.

"I still don't know," Lucy sighed.

X

Jellal rolled the dice. He moved his piece seven spaces.

"You owe me twenty dollars," Loke said. Jellal sighed and gave him the money.

"Remind me why we're playing Monoploy?" Natsu asked.

"Just put the damn game away!" Gajeel yelled, annoyed.

All the guys were spending the night at Natsu's house. His dad was away for the weekend and told him he could have a party. Playing Monopoly isn't much of a party, but it worked.

"What did you guys think of Lucy's friends?" Jellal asked.

"Yukino was like an angel," Loke said with hearts in his eyes.

"Only you," Natsu laughed. "Sting seemed pretty cool."

"Rogue seemed kind of quite," Loke noted.

"They're all pretty close to Lucy, huh? She's like their little baby," Gajeel laughed.

"I think there's something going on with her and Rogue. They were giving each other looks the whole time we were out," Jellal said.

Gray remembered that Lucy and Rogue were alone in laser tag at one point. He noticed that she would try to avoid being around Rogue and him at the same time. He wondered why that is. He couldn't imagine them dating, since he was already satin her. But he never officiously asked her out, so she might have thought they were friends. That didn't make much sense, though.

"You know, I saw them kissing one day," Loke said.

"What?" Gray gasped. He cursed himself for sounding too surprised.

"Oh yeah, I heard a few girls talking about that in the hall," Jellal said. "They were saying that the new girl was kissing some guy outside of school one morning. I guess I didn't think much of it."

"She probably just didn't want us to know. She's really shy, so I would imagine her being nervous about telling us," Natsu shrugged. "Okay, so who wants to watch a movie?"

Gray was too lost in his thoughts to notice that Natsu started a movie. That was weeks ago that that would have happened. And who knows how long they've been dating before that, if they were. They did kiss in public, after all.

Just what exactly did he mean to her, after all?

* * *

**I decided that I'm not going to update my stories on the same day any more. I'll update them with maybe a day apart. I'll be updating Perfect for You tomorrow, I think. **

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10 (7-3)

Gray had reached a decision after a week of thinking. He was going to figure out if Lucy was dating Rogue. He wasn't sure at first, but he figured out a solution. That's what got himself in his current situation. He thought that it would be fun to have all of his friends go somewhere for the weekend. That's what he said, but he, of course, had a different motive. He informed Lisanna, Mira, and Levy of his plan, knowing they would help. Lisanna and Levy were great with relationships. Mira was too, but he really needed her event planning.

"That one looks fun!" Lisanna said, pointing to a water slide.

For the weekend, Mira told everyone that they would all be going to Magnolia Land. There was a water park, an amusement park, a huge arcade, and many other fun attractions. They all had to ride a bus for three hours to get there, but it was worth it. They all booked hotel rooms, gender split, near the park so they could enjoy themselves the whole weekend.

Currently, Lisanna, Mira, Lucy, and Gray were in their own group at the water park. Mira thought the guys would have fun by themselves. Erza went with them to keep them in line and spend time with Jellal. Mira sent Levy with them to get her closer to Gajeel, possibly killing two birds with one stone. Cana just went with the guys since, well, she was one of the guys. Mira insisted that Gray come with them because they need 'a big, strong guy to protect them, since they are so irresistible with their womanly charms, strangers wouldn't be able to let them walk past without going after them.' That was the grand excuse, at least.

"Yeah, that looks fun," Gray said. It was a giant slide where two people sit on an inner tube together.

"I'll go with Lucy," Lisanna said, grabbing the blonde's arm.

Just when the four were about to get in line, Mira stopped walking. "Lisanna," she said worriedly, hoping she was acting well enough. She really only needed to fool Lucy. "We need to go." She grabbed Lisanna's arm.

Lisanna saw the weird look Lucy was giving Mira. "Why, what's wrong?" she asked, hoping that Mira could give Lucy an explanation.

Mira cursed under her breath. She really thought she wouldn't have to make an excuse. She hugged Lisanna's arm and looked at Gray, a smug look on her face. She said that first thing that came to mind. "Girl problems."

Gray sweat dropped. He wasn't sure if that could have gone worse if they tried. Lucy seemed convinced, though. He looked at her and saw that she looked pretty nervous. He loved that she was wearing a shirt over her bikini. It didn't make sense, though, since the shirt was white.

"Are you kids riding?" the operator asked.

"Yes, sorry," Gray apologized. He grabbed an inner tube from the stack in the corner and set it down.

"Smallest person in the front," the operator said with a bored expression.

Lucy sat in the front. Gray say behind her and grabbed the handles. The operator pushed them down the slide. Lucy ended up screaming and grabbing Gray's arms, trying to hide behind them. He just laughed and hugged her waist. She moved her hands over her eyes, not wanting to watch in front of her. The ride seemed oddly long.

When the ride ended, Lucy got out of the pool as fast as she could. She went over to one of the many seats that were lined up and sat down, hugging herself. She was so scared she was shaking. She wasn't sure why that scared her, but it did.

"Hey, are you okay?" Gray asked, sitting beside her. She shook her head, trying not to cry. Gray looked back to the ride and realized why Lisanna picked that one. It was designed to have you move really fast. It was also made out of black plastic, so it was very dark. With all those twists and turns it was no surprised that she was crying.

"Do you want to go walk around?" Gray asked. She nodded and stood up. She silently followed him back to the locker area. The whole group just rented one to keep their clothes in. They both took their clothes before going their separate ways to change.

When they were both done, they went to the little park area. Gray smiled that Lucy nervously grabbed his one hand with both of hers. A lot of shops were around the park, and Gray found an ice cream one. He left Lucy at a tree where no one else was really around. He came back with a strawberry cone and a mint chocolate chip cone. Lucy took the strawberry.

"Brings back memories, huh?" Gray asked, leaning against the tree. He remembered that Lucy had a picture of them sitting against a tree wen they were younger, eating ice cream.

"Why don't you take a picture?" Lucy asked quietly. "It'll be like a before and after."

"Okay, if you want," Gray said, taking his phone out of his pocket. He turned the camera to front and held it out. Lucy smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. That made him smile. Even after he took the picture, she kept her head there.

"What about Mira and Lisanna?" Lucy asked, suddenly remembering that they were with them earlier.

"Oh, uh, Mira texted me," Gray lied. "They met up with everyone else. I guess they were all going to do this water war thing and the teams weren't even." Right after he spoke, he wanted to slap himself. If Lisanna and Mira joined them, it would add two people. So the teams would be just as even with or without them. Lucy didn't seem to notice, though. She just took her head off his shoulder to lick her ice cream.

Gray licked his as well. He looked over at Lucy. She was looking up at the clouds. He noticed that she had ice cream on her nose. He reached out and wiped it off with his thumb. And blushed and looked over at him. She blushed more when she noticed how close they were.

_"Has he made any move to kiss you?"_

Yukino's words rang through Lucy's head. It was like a broken record. Her head was spinning. Gray's hand was still cupping her face and his thumb was running over her cheek, occasionally brushing over the corner of her mouth. She noticed that Gray was looking right into her eyes. Yukino's voice got louder the closer Gray as their lips were about to touch, Lucy dropped her cone of the ground and pushed him away. He was so shocked he dropped his cone. She stared at him with wide eyes.

Lucy almost couldn't bare the shocked look on Gray's face. It almost looked like he would cry. He stood up and turned away from her. She stood up, too. He looked over his shoulder at her. He looked down at his feet and ran off.

He knew it was Rogue.

* * *

**Gah! I haven't updated for, like, two weeks! I was visiting family for about a week and a half so I guess I wasn't writing every day like I usually do. But have no fear! I'm now using the calendar on my phone to make events of when I update stories. That way I can see how long its been. I was just checking the dates under my stories, but apparently that meant nothing. I was thinking, "Oh, June 22. That hasn't been that long." Then I look at the calendar and realize that it was almost two weeks! **

**So I have an Instagram and Tumblr now. I realized the Facebook thing was pretty much useless. I actually deleted the page. But I know tons of people of Instagram. I just use that to post my art. I've joined a couple contests, too. As for Tumblr, Nora57 PM me and told me that there is this cool GraLu week thing on there. So, of course, not being able to resist GraLu, I make a Tumblr. But I will use it once I figure it out! **

**Please Review!  
**


	11. Chapter 11 (7-10)

"Guys!" Lisanna screeched, trying to get Natsu and Loke to put her down. They just laughed and threw her across the pool.

"My turn!" Cana called out. She handed her beer to Mira and jumped at Loke, knocking them both in the pool.

"I'm starting to wonder if I've ever seen her sober," Levy laughed.

The two girls heard a phone going off. They went over to the chair where everyone set their phones and saw that it was Natsu's going off. They quickly called him over.

"Hello?" Natsu answered the phone.

_"N-Nastu?"_

"Lucy?" he asked, completely surprised. It sounded like she was crying. "Where are you? What's wrong?"

_"I-I'm at the park."_

"I'll be there in a minute." Natsu hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Levy asked.

"I'm not sure." Natsu grabbed his shirt and put it on as fast as he could. "She said she's in the park. I think she'a crying."

"What?" Mira gasped. "She was with Gray."

"Aparently not now." Natsu grabbed his phone before running off.

"Hold Cana's beer," Mira said, giving Levy the drink. She ran after Natsu, not even caring that she was only wearing her bikini.

X

When the two reached the park, they found Lucy sitting against a tree. She was hugging her knees. They noticed two ice cream cones on the ground beside her.

"Lucy, don't cry," Natsu said. He sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him and tried to stop crying.

"Where did Gray go?" Mira asked, running her fingers through Lucy's damp hair.

"H-he ran o-off," Lucy cried.

"What happened?" Mira asked sweetly. She could see the anger in Nastu's eyes.

Lucy wiped her eyes and leaned back on her heals. Natsu was just loosely hugging her. He was afraid that if he let her go she would break down. "He was going to kiss me," she said. "I wasn't sure so I pushed him away. He got upset and ran off."

"Why would he kiss you?" Natsu asked, confusion laced in his voice.

"You are so dense," Mira sighed. "When two people-"

"I know that!" Natsu rolled his eyes. "I mean, aren't you dating Rogue? Loke saw you two kiss before and Jellal heard people talking about it at school."

Lucy hid her face behind her hands. "This is such a mess," she said, shaking her head.

"Natsu, go back to the others. I need to talk to Lucy," Mira said. Natsu hesitated, but he saw the look Mira gave. He quickly ran back.

For the next hour, Lucy told Mira everything. She told her about how she likes Rogue and Gray both. She even told her about what Yukino said. Then Mira told Lucy what she knew. Gray only filled her in a little, so she didn't have much to tell.

"I guess there is an easy way to settle this," Mira sighed, reaching her final decision.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"Who do you like to be with better?" Mira asked.

"I like them both. I told you," Lucy said. She was actually surprised she said so much. She's never said so much at one time before.

"That's not what I mean," Mira laughed. "You obviously enjoy both of their company. You like their personalalities, that's obvious. But who are you more attracted to?"

Lucy just blushed.

"You've kissed Rogue. Remember that feeling. You need to compare," Mira said.

X

Lucy was pacing back and forth in the girl's room. Mira told her earlier that day that she needs to compare Rogue to Gray. Natsu texted her saying that Gray was in the guy's room. He just went straight to the hotel room after he ran off. All the other guys went to play at the arcade, so Gray was alone in the room.

"Just go talk to him already!" Lisanna said, throwing a pillow at Lucy.

"You've been pacing for almost an hour. There has to be imprints in the floor," Levy laughed.

Cana draped an arm over Lucy's shoulder. "Girl, you just need to go for it. If he doesn't like you, well, just fuck it. He's a piece of shit anyways, right?"

"Uh, Cana? I don't know if those are inspiring words," Mira said, sweat dropping.

"Okay, I'll go," Lucy said. All the girls cheered as she left the room. She walked straight across the hall and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Gray asked when he opened the door. He was surprised to see Lucy.

Lucy blushed, seeing that Gray wasn't wearing a shirt. She looked down at her feet. "Can I come in?" she asked quietly.

"I guess," Gray said, letting her in. He shut the door behind her.

Lucy went over and sat down on the couch. Gray silently sat beside her. He could see it on her face that she was worried. He knew exactly what it was about, too.

"About earlier," he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I didn't know-"

Gray's breath caught in his throat when Lucy hugged him. He was behind surprised. He hugged her back, anyways.

"I'm really confused right now," Lucy admitted, hugging him tighter. "Mira told me that I need to kiss you to know if I like you or Rogue better, so I came over to talk to you. I just don't know what to do."

"It's okay," Gray said. He let her go. She looked up at him, trying to read his face. He just out both his hands on her shoulder. He gave her forehead a long kiss.

"G-Gray," she stuttered. She didn't expect him to do that.

"Sorry," he laughed. "I just can't kiss you for real unless I know I can do it again."

She would be lying if she said that wasn't the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to her. She could tell that it pained him to say that, though. She sucked in a deep breath and put her arms around his shoulders. "You can do it again," she said. She blushed at her own comment.

Gray found himself blushing, too. He didn't think she would decide so quickly. He gently held her face in his hands and brushed his lips against hers. He felt her shiver slightly. He gently pressed his lips to hers. She tried to catch his lips again as he pulled away. He laughed and rubbed his thumb over her mouth. She seemed to lean into his hand.

"So does this mean you're my girlfriend?" he whispered in her ear.

Lucy responded by kissing him again. He put his arms around her waist as she leaned into him. He gently bit her lip, deepening the kiss.

At some point, all the guys came back. The second they opened the door they noticed Lucy and Gray. They all quietly left, glad they weren't noticed. The went straight to the girl's.

"What are you idiots doing here?!" Cana yelled, pointing a finger at the garbage can beside the door. "You're killing my buzz." Lisanna and Levy made her sit down on the couch. She was too drunk for he own good. When you start yelling at garbage cans, it's time for you go sit down, right?

"There are more important thing happening than your buzz," Natsu said, trying not to smile. He was his glad that Gray patched things up with Lucy.

"Nothing is more important than alcohol, my dear Watson!" Cana exclaimed, putting her hands up. She started laughing. "I think George Einstein said that."

Mira pinched the bridge of her nose. She let out a sigh. "Anyways, what's happening?"

"Lucy and Gray are making out on the couch in our room," Gajeel mumbled. He really wanted to go to sleep, but they had to be good people and leave the two alone.

Mira smiled wide. It sounded to her like Lucy finally figured it out.

* * *

**A lot of you left reviews, cheering for Rogue. Sorry! This is still a GraLu story! **

**Please Review!**


	12. Chapter 12 (7-15)

"Have a good day at school," Layla said. Lucy just nodded and got out of the car. Layla was at least glad that Lucy was becoming a little more social. She watched her daughter walk up to the school, only to stop and look behind her. Gray came up and grabbed her hand, kissing the top of her head. Layla smiled at this. She was always secretly hoping they would end up together.

"How did it go with Rogue?" Gray asked, walking into school. It was a week since he officially started dating Lucy. She told him the night before that she was calling her other friends to tell them.

"He didn't really say much," Lucy said. "Yukino was freaking out, in a good way."

"You know the whole school pretty much knows about us now," Gray pointed out. "Mira has quite the big mouth."

"That's okay." Lucy looked towards the ground and smiled.

"It's not okay; it's perfect," Gray said. "Now everyone knows that you're mine." He moved his hand to around her shoulder and kissed her temple. She blushed and looked away, causing him to laugh. It seemed like they had one of those cute relationships that have everyone cavities.

X

Lucy sang along to the song that was playing on her phone. She was taking a bath and it couldn't have been better. Her phone was hooked up to her speakers, music blaring. She had her favorite book in her hands and a tub of ice cream beside her. Her parents went out with some friends, since it was Friday, so she was home alone.

Bang!

Lucy started to panic. She got out of the tub as fast as she could, dropping her book in the water on accident. She knocked over the ice cream. It was a little melted, so it started running all over the floor. On top of that, in such a rush to shut the music off, she dropped the speakers. She had to just hope they were okay. She grabbed the first shirt in the laundry basic, put it on, and ran downstairs. She managed to find a broom on the way down.

When she finally got downstairs, she was surprised to see Gray standing in her living room, the one end-table knocked over. He had a guilty look on his face.

"Gray?" she asked.

"Yes, now put the broom down before you kill me," he laughed. She sighed and threw it on the floor.

"What happened with the table?" she asked, pointing to it.

"I knew you were home and when I knocked on the door no one answered. I could see your parents weren't home so I got worried. I came in anyways to see if something was wrong. I went in the living room to see if you were in there when I heard this weird screaming noise from upstairs. I made a run for it and sort of ran into the table," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lucy's eyebrow twitched. She picked the broom back up and hit him with it.

"Hey! Stop!" he yelled, running out of the room.

"You're a jerk!" she yelled, chasing him. "I was singing!"

She chased him all the way upstairs. All the doors were closed so he picked one. He ran into a room, hoping to get away. Sadly, he ran into the bathroom. He tripped on the speakers, slipped on the ice cream, and fell into the bathtub. Lucy was a little ways behind him, so all she saw was him go into the bathroom.

"Luce, don't-"

Before Gray could warn her, she ran into the room. She tripped, slipped, and fell info the bathtub right on top of Gray. Luckily her bathtub wasn't small.

"I hate you so much," Lucy whined, rubbing her head. She looked up and blushed, seeing their position. She was straddling him, her face inches from his. He was holding her waist in his attempt to catch her. And to make things worse she was just wearing a shirt, which happened to be her father's.

"Your face was priceless!" Gray laughed.

Bang!

"Luuuuuuuucccccyyyy!"

"Sting," Lucy gasped.

"The perfect time for a surprise visit," Gray said, rolling his eyes. He moved Lucy so she was sitting beside him. That's all he had time to do before Sting came skipping upstairs.

"I think she's in the bathroom," Yukino said. "No, don't go in!"

Lucy laughed. It was just like Sting to act before thinking. She looked up and saw Yukino walking into the room. The white-haired girl's face slowly turned tomato red.

"A-are we interrupting s-s-something?" Yukino stuttered. It seemed like she couldn't look away.

"Just a huge accident," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. She pulled the shirt she was wearing down farther, hoping not to flash anyone.

"Then why are you naked under that shirt?" Sting asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Were you looking?!" Yukino yelled angrily, hitting him hard on the head.

"Can you just leave?" Lucy mumbled quietly. "I kind of want to change and get this cleaned up."

"Come on, Dumbass One and Two," Rogue said. He picked Yukino and Sting up by their shirts and carried them away a few feet. He made them go downstairs, but he stayed outside the bathroom door. He wanted to listen in on Gray an Lucy's conversation, ad possibly look in the room when he had a chance.

"Rogue seems different," Lucy noted. She made no move to get out of the tub. Gray just shrugged and grabbed the towel that she originally set out for herself. "Yeah, but he openly insulted Yukino and Sting. He doesn't usually do that."

"You're probably overthinking this," Gray sighed. He took his shirt and pants off, since they were soaked, leaving him in just his boxers. Lucy blushed and looked away, making him laugh. He started cleaning up the huge mess in the bathroom. He used the towel to dry the floor.

"But what if he's upset about something?" Lucy asked. She stood up and tried to ring-out the shirt she was wearing the best she could. "Can you grab me another shirt?" she asked Gray. He handed her one from the laundry basket. She shut the shower curtain so she could change.

"I don't see what he'd be upset about," Gray said. He helped Lucy step out of the bathtub so she didn't fall. He surprised her by pulling her to him in a loose hug. "Unless it's about you," he whispered in her ear.

"Well I-" Lucy was cut off by Gray's lips. It was an instant react to put her arms around his neck.

From outside the bathroom, Rogue had clenched fists. He hated that he's been trying to get Lucy to notice him every since he met her, and Gray just waltzes in and ruins it. Lucy was almost his, too! He realized that he needed a plan to get her away from him.

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	13. Chapter 13 (7-27)

"Lucy?" Layla asked, peaking her head into her daughter's room. Lucy was sitting on her bed, brushing her hair. "Oh, are you going somewhere?"

Lucy blushed and set her hairbrush on her lap. Gray invited her over to his house for dinner. They've been dating for almost a month, and he said his family wouldn't shut up about meeting her. She didn't know how well she would be able to handle it, seeing Gray's new family.

"Are you going somewhere with Gray?" Layla asked. She sat down beside Lucy on the bed. She grabbed the hairbrush and started brushing Lucy's hair.

"I'm going to his house," Lucy said. She turned so Layla had a better angle.

"Here, let me braid your hair." Layla grabbed Lucy's hair to one side and started braiding it. She already had a hair-tie on her wrist, so she used that. "Let's make sure you look perfect."

Layla went over Lucy's dresser and got into her box of hair clips. She pulled out a blue flower and clicked it around the tie in Lucy's hair. Then she went to the closet and pulled out a light blue top. It was a tank-top with white vertical stripes on it. Since Lucy would wear one anyways, she grabbed a thin black hoodie. The black skirt Lucy was already wearing worked fine.

After Lucy was dressed, she went downstairs. Jude was asleep on the chair in the living room, the TV on. It seemed he was having a lazy night. She found Layla in the kitchen, pulling something out of the oven.

"I made a casserole for you to take over," Layla said, closing the oven door with her foot. She slipped the dish into the blue cover she had. "I'm taking you over, so go get in the van."

The ride to Gray's house was as silent as always. The radio was on, showing that Lucy didn't want to talk. Layla stayed in the car, figuring she could meet Gray's family a different time. She pulled out of the driveway just as Lucy was knocking on the door.

"Hey," Gray said, smiling when he saw Lucy. She had her hood up like always. He looked at the dish in her arms. "You didn't have to bring anything, you know."

"Mom's idea," Lucy said quietly, staring at the dish. Gray grabbed it, holding it with one hand, then used his free hand to grab one of hers. They walked into the kitchen where he set it on the counter.

"You must be Lucy," Ur said, smiling at the girl beside her adoptive son. She went over and hugged her, making Lucy stiffen. "I've been wanting to meet you since Gray first mentioned you. Sorry, but I don't have any embarrassing baby pictures to show you, but I may have a few stories."

Gray just rolled his eyes. He pulled Lucy out of the room and into the living room. The rest of his family was in there. Wendy was laying on the floor, coloring a picture. Ultear and Kyle were watching TV. They all smiled when they saw Lucy. Seeing them just made her heart ache. Kyle wasn't the father she wanted to see. Ultear wasn't the sibling she wanted to see. Wendy wasn't the familiar dog laying on the floor she expected. And Ur certainly wasn't the mother she hoped to have hugged her in greeting.

"Luce, are you okay?" Gray asked. He saw a tear roll down her cheek. He didn't think it would be so hard on her to meet his new family. She always cared so deeply for them, and now they were gone. Lyon was like her brother, his father was the fatherly figure she wanted, his dog was the pet she was never allowed to have, and his mother was like Layla in every way. Of course her losing all that would be upsetting.

Lucy shook her head and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She wasn't making a very good first impression, but that was the last thing on her mind. It felt like she was being stabbed in the chest.

Kyle smiled sadly. "Why don't you take her up to your room? Dinner won't be ready for a while," he suggested. He heard that Lucy was close to Gray's biological family, so he wasn't surprised to see how hard it was for her to see his new family.

Gray did what Kyle said. He took Lucy up to his room, trying to ignore how she became more pained with every step. He actually lived in the same house as when he was younger. Ur and Kyle already wanted to move to Magnolia, and they thought it would be easier on Gray if he didn't have to get used to a new house, as well as a new family. It did help a lot, but it was too much for Lucy.

"I'm sorry," Gray said, sitting down on his bed. Lucy sat beside him, so he pulled her to him in a hug. "I should have had us go out somewhere. It must be hard being in this house again."

"I love you," Lucy whimpered, hugging him tightly, crying onto his shoulder.

Gray was taken aback. She's never said she loved him before. He smiled down at her, flipping her hood down. "I love you, too," he said, putting his nose on the top of her head. He unclipped the flower from her hair and set it on the little table beside his bed. Then he pulled the hair tie from her hair so he could run his fingers through it. He figured her hair was like that because of Layla. She never did anything with her hair otherwise.

Lucy tilted her head up to look at Gray. He quickly wiped her tears away. She lightly tugged on his shirt and pulled him down just enough so she could nibble on his lower lip. He was wondering where this Lucy came from. He pulled her face up to his and kissed her, his tongue slipped into her mouth. Her whole body heated up, her senses going into overdrive. She was getting too hot so she took her hoodie off before putting her arms around his neck.

"You know, I've meet even seen your shoulders," Gray said, kissing her left shoulder. "You're always wearing a hoodie. I've only seen you wear a t-shirt twice."

"I like to stay covered," Lucy mumbled, burying her face into Gray's neck. She was sort of wishing Layla didn't give her a tank top to wear. She was showing way too much skin for her liking.

"At least you dont hide your sexy legs," Gray whispered huskily into her ear, putting a hand on her knee. She felt a shiver go down her spine. He stood up and ran a hand through his black hair. "We should go see if dinner-"

Gray was cut-off when Lucy pulled him back down, kissing him. He ended up laying on top of her, which just made his face heat up. This was definitely a different side of Lucy. He knew deep-down that this is the part of her that isn't shy, and he was happy that he got to see that side.

Lucy started tugging at Gray's shirt. He stopped kissing her and leaned his elbows on either side of her face. She bit her lower lip and looked up at him. He couldn't seem to be able to read her face. She just lifted his shirt up a little more. He sighed and sat up, taking it off. He smirked down at her, watching her eyes as they roamed over him. He knew that she never looked at him when they went to the water park with everyone, so it was the first time she's seen him without a shirt. He may have stripped often, but it's not like she looked then, either. And even if she did, this was totally different.

Lucy just looked over him with complete curiosity and amazement. She didn't even think it was possible for him to be so muscular. Timidly, she reached a hand out to his abs. She just rested her hand there, seeing if it was okay. She didn't see any sign that he minded, so she moved her other hand by the first. She could feel the light rising and all of his chest. She moved her hands up his chest, feeling his abs and pectorals. Her hands roamed over his shoulders and down his back, earning a moan from him. She just blushed that much more.

"God, Luce," Gray hissed, gritting his teeth. He was going to go insane if she didn't stop. That innocent look on her face just made it worse. She had no clue what she was doing to him.

"Am I hurting you?" Lucy asked, drawing her hands away. She took his reaction as a negative.

Gray sighed as rested his forehead against her shoulder. "How can you even be this innocent? Damn," he mumbled. He couldn't believe that she actually thought she was hurting him.

"Then maybe you should change that," Lucy said. She didn't even realize how inappropriate that sounded. She earned herself a groan from Gray before he attacked her lips again. She was really killing him.

"You really need to watch what you say," Gray said, kissing her neck. "You're driving me insane."

Lucy squirmed under Gray as he kissed her neck. It tickled a little, but she liked it. She put her hands back on his chest, feeling his abs again. He put his hands on her waist, rubbing small circles on her stomach with his thumbs. Her shirt suddenly felt very itching, and she wanted it off. She put her hands over his, making him look up at her. He saw the look in her eyes and got the picture. He slowly slipped her shirt off of her

Lucy didn't give Gray a chance to look at her. She just kissed him again, enjoying the feeling of his skin against hers. He knew how shy she was and usually let her hide, but he wasn't planning on it this time. He withdrew his lips from hers, ignoring her protests. He moved her hands away from her chest, getting a view of her light pink bra. Her chest was a little smaller than average, but he didn't care one bit.

"Gray," Lucy whined, trying to free her hands. She didn't like him looking at her like that. She was definitely lacking in her own sex-appeal, so she hated people seeing her.

Gray let her hands go. She covered herself up instantly. "Sorry," he apologized. "You're not comfortable with this. You thought you were, but you're not."

Lucy felt her eyes water. "You don't like that my chest is small so you're backing out, aren't you?" she asked in a broken voice. She moved him off of her and went to grab her shirt. His hand moved to rest on hers.

"That's not true at all," Gray said, moving her hand off it completely. "I just don't want you to regret anything. It seems like you already are."

Lucy shook her head. She moved her hands away from herself, letting Gray see her. He chuckled and kissed her nose. "I'm okay as long as I'm with you," she said.

Gray slipped her shirt over her head. "You're upset and not thinking straight. I wasn't either," he said. He put his shirt back on. "Besides, you're here to meet my family, right?"

Lucy blushed on a whole other level. She looked around the room, her eyes wide. She saw the familiar black dresser, the small brown bookshelf beside it, the tan carpet, and the faded blue walls. Everything was the same as when they were younger. She then looked at the twin sized bed she was on. The only difference was that there were different sheets and pillows. She could see them having sleepovers together, their day ending by cuddling up together on the bed like best friends do. Just the fact that of what she was about to do in a room with so many childish memories was unbelievable.

Gray set Lucy's hoodie on her head, snapping her out of her thoughts. She quickly put it on and flipped the hood up, feeling at ease once again. The two walked out of the room and downstairs. Sure enough, Ur and Ultear were setting the table. Kyle came into the room, Wendy on his back. He threw her into a chair, then quickly kissed Ur on the lips before sitting down. Lucy found it amazing how such a perfect looking family could add Gray so easily.

"Oh good, I was just about to go get you," Ur said, smiling up at them. She set a roast on the table beside the mashed potatoes and salad.

"We could smell it from upstairs," Gray lied easily, sitting down beside Wendy. Ultear sat across from him, and Ur beside her. Kyle was at the head of the table. Wendy was at the corner beside Kyle. Gray pulled Lucy to the seat beside him.

"So Lucy, you just moved here from Oak Town?" Kyle asked. He put some salad on his plate before passing it to Ur. Lucy nodded, looking at her lap.

"Did you have many friends?" Ur asked. She helped Wendy get her food. Lucy nodded again. The food got to her, but Gray just took it. He put some on her plate then his. For such a shy person picking a food portion to eat would be uncomfortable. He knew that's how she thought.

"Lucy, do you think you could take your hood down?" Kyle asked. He wanted to know what she looked like, adding to the fact that it was rude to eat with your hood up.

Lucy tensed up and tried to sink into her seat further. The attention was all on her, aside from Wendy who was humming and eating her food. Gray noticed how uncomfortable she was and coughed, bringing the attention to him. "This is really good, Mom."

Ur and Kyle exchanged glanced. They dropped the topic and continued eating. Lucy relaxed in the silence. She could tell that they would look at her often, but that was better than them talking to her.

After dinner, Lucy and Gray went on the porch to wait for Layla. Gray had to explain that his family were very talkative and loud, so it was strange for them to see someone so shy. She said it was okay.

"Gray?" Lucy asked, tugging on the bottoms of his shirt to get his attention. He hummed and looked over at her. "What if we were alone earlier? Would you have stopped?"

Gray scrunched his eyebrows together. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Lucy looked out and saw Layla pulling into the driveway. "I'll see you Monday." She quickly hugged him before going to the van.

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**It's been a while, so I wrote a long chapter. So I had some fluff on there. I hope you enjoyed it! Rogue's plan will come in a little bit. Oh, do you guys want this story to be M? I kind of want to try a rated M story, and I thought I could use this story. So what do you think? **

**Please Review!**


	14. Chapter 14 (8-9)

**If you read the update I put up for Chapter 14, pretend you didn't read that. I accidentally put up the wrong chapter. If you haven't read it, then you're fine. You'll read the chapter I put up in the next update. **

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"That makes no sense!"

Lucy laughed to herself as she took another bowl of popcorn into the living room. It was the day after she met Gray's family, and her friends from Sabertooth were over. They ended up watching a movie, and Sting was on his usual rants.

"Lucy, come sit by me!" Sting said happily, pulling her down. Yukino was barely able to grab the popcorn before Lucy dropped it. The blonde ended up in Sting's lap, a heavy blush on her cheeks.

Rogue looked at Lucy with curiosity. He noticed that she blushed anytime he or Sting touched her. He couldn't remember a time when she blushed by them doing something like that. Something probably happened. He had been waiting patiently to find a moment to get Lucy to go back into her shell. He knew that when that happened, she would till be comfortable around him.

"So how was eating dinner at Gray's?" Yukino asked. She was all too eager to hear about that. When Lucy blushed, Yukino grabbed her wrist and drug her to the kitchen. "Okay, spill."

"There's nothing to say," Lucy mumbled, looking at her feet. Nothing really did happen. They just both lost their shirts. That's nothing worth mentioning, right?

"Come on, don't lie," Yukino said teasingly. "We both know something happened."

"What's this shit?!" Sting yelled angrily from the living room.

Yukino sighed and went back to the living room, Lucy a step behind. Sting was pouting on the floor, Rogue looking annoyed. "What happened?" Yukino asked.

"This makes no sense!" Sting gestured to the TV where the movie was playing. "Who picked this stupid movie anyways?" The other three gave him a look since he picked it. "These two were just find and dandy being friends and shit, then they turn around and fuck each other! What the hell is wrong with them? They're, like, fourteen!"

"Maybe you should start reading descriptions of the movies you pick," Yukino suggested. "Besides, it's just a movie."

"Their relationship would fall apart if that was real life," Rogue said with a bored expression.

"It would?" Sting asked. "I thought that strengthened relationships."

"Sting, you're completely clueless," Yukino sighed. "It would obviously destroy it. You can't do that stuff until you're completely together. That takes at least a solid year, if not longer."

Lucy coughed awkwardly and went up to take the movie out, since Sting didn't like it. She was pulled back down beside the blonde. She snuggled up to him in his lap and closed her eyes. It was pretty late and she was tired. She really couldn't relieve that she was about to ruin her relationship with Gray like that. She was just being too straightforward, she concluded.

"She fell asleep," Sting said. He brushed the hair out of her eyes, only for it to fall back into place. "Has she always been this small? I guess I haven't been with her much lately." Lucy was always their little baby. When she lived in Oak Town, she would cower behind him and Rogue. The four of them did everything together, always having sleepovers. Every time Lucy would sleep cuddled up to him. She even told him before that he was like her big teddy bear. Despite that, it was always clear that she liked Rogue.

"You know she barely eats," Yukino said sadly. "Honestly, I don't even see how she could be so upset about that."

"Yukino, she loves him." Sting shot Yukino a glare. "I get why she's upset. He did what he had to do."

"No, he didn't have to. How could he even decide that at such a young age?" The annoyance was clear in her voice.

"He didn't have a choice. He had to do it. It just so happens that he hurt someone dear to him along the way," Rogue explained, trying to get the two to stop fighting.

"But this isn't okay," Sting retorted, switching sides. "He completely ruined her. I know for a fact that him leaving changed her. He's the reason she's do shy, doesn't eat right, and just feels so lonely. He could at least send a letter, couldn't he? It's wrong to just leave her like that."

"He was only thirteen," Yukino said. "He left her when she was eleven. That just isn't right. How could you do that?"

"You know, it's been five years," Rogue pointed out. Sting and Yukino exchanged glanced before looking at Lucy.

"Does that mean she will change back to her old self?" Sting asked. That was the fear in all of them. Would she be the same? Would she change? Would it be for the better? They didn't know which would be the worse.

X

On Monday, Layla pulled up to the school and smiled at Lucy. She did a double take at the latter. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, clearing not wanting to get out if the car. The hadn't happened in at least a month. It surprised Layla.

"Lucy, we're at school," Layla said. She just figured Lucy didn't realize that they were already at school. But the young blonde made no attempt to move.

A knock on the window made Layla look up. Natsu was standing there, his head tilted. She smiled and rolled the window down. "What's wrong with Lucy?" he asked.

"She won't get out of the car," Layla sighed. She really didn't get why she was being shy again. She was doing so well. She thought a moment. Did something happen with Gray? It seemed like he was helping her a lot. "Can you help me? And maybe figure out what's wrong?"

"I'll talk to her," Natsu said. He opened the door and tried to pull Lucy out. He was shocked when she grabbed the seat, no wanting to go that bad. He pried her hands away. That made her scream and trash out of his grasp.

"Hey, what's wrong with Lucy?" Jellal asked worriedly, running over. Levy was a step behind him.

"We got her. Just go," Natsu said, shutting the van door. Layla nodded and hesitantly drove off. He looked to the two bluenettes. "Lucy doesn't want to go to school." He put a hand over her mouth so she stopped screaming. He felt tears hit hand, which just made his heart ache.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Levy asked. Her eyes widened when she saw years roll down Natsu's wrist. She couldn't see her face or his hand because of her hood, but it was clear that she was crying.

"Hey, there's Gray now," Jellal said, looking out towards the parking lot. He was just getting out of his car. "Gray!" he called. The raven haired boy looked up. Seeing the small crowd around Lucy, he ran over.

"Luce?" Gray asked, taking his place beside Natsu. The blonde froze. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"She doesn't want to go to school," Natsu explained. "I had to pull her out of the car, then she started screaming. I don't get what's wrong with her."

"I got her," Gray said. He took Lucy from Natsu's arms. That made the blonde start screaming again. They were starting to gather attention. "Whoa, calm down!" She thrashed around until she broke free, falling to the ground. She hit her head off the ground and started feeling dizzy. She looked up and saw the worried look of her four friends. She vaguely heard her name being called before she passed out.

X

Lucy felt someone laying beside her, holding her. She felt so warm. She snuggled closer to the person, loving how warm he was.

"Are you alright?" the man asked. Lucy listened, trying to recognize the voice. Her head was spinning. She groaned and brought a hand up to her, feeling the bump. She carefully opened her eyes, trying to adjust to her surrounding. It was hard not to drift off to sleep again.

"Sting," Lucy sighed, seeing the familiar blue eyes and blonde hair. She felt her eyes water.

"Hey, don't cry," Sting laughed. "I had to fight with the nurse to let me lay with you, then you cry."

Lucy let out a giggle. She didn't even register that he found with the nurse. She was still at school. Natsu had called Sting, telling him what happened. She clearly didn't want any of them, so he needed outside help. He argued with the nurse to let him lay with her, just because he knew that that would be the best way for her to wake up. It would draw the attention away from all the people in the room. It worked, because she didn't even notice that all her friends were crowed in the room.

"Why'd you freak out?" Sting asked. He started running his fingers through her hair. He glanced and saw that Natsu was going to hand her an ice pack, but he shook his head. She wouldn't talk if she knew that someone else was there.

"I didn't want to go to school," Lucy said quietly. Sting and Rogue were the only ones that heard her. Rogue was sitting against the bed so he was right beside the blondes' heads.

"Why not?" Sting was under the impression that she was enjoying school. It really surprised him that she freaked out when Gray held her. She freaked out with Natsu, but she calmed down quickly. It really didn't make sense.

"I'm just really sleepy." Lucy yawned cutely and buried her head back into Sting's chest. He just sighed and put his arms around her again.

X

"It's really raining today," Erza said, looking out the window. It was odd to see her in class. She was always in the student council room. She didn't even know Lucy. She was a junior, but she had study hall with the sophomores.

Gray sighed sadly. It's been a week since the incident with Lucy. She sat in the back corner and didn't talk to anyone. It really worried him. It was like before they were friends. Of course he was hurt that she was ignoring him, especially after what happened, but he really just cared that she was being shy again.

"Did you hear about the new student?" Lisanna asked. "I think her name is Juvia. She's moving from Phantom Lord."

"Oh, I remember her," Gajeel said, cringing. "I used to go to school there. She was pretty quite. Pretty annoying, too. She always loved the rain. It's fitting that she moved here during a storm." Just as he finished, a crack of lightning was heard. They all tried to ignore the fact that Lucy was shaking in the corner out of fear. They knew she wouldn't accept help.

The door to the classroom opened. A beautiful girl with long blue hair stepped in, her heals clicking against the floor. She was wearing white super skinny jeans, along with a tight black t-shirt. Her three inch black heals made her look taller, but she was still a little shorter than the guys in the group. She had a little makeup on, accenting her eyes. "Hello, my name is Juvia," she introduced herself. The teacher just told her to sit wherever she wanted. She went to her seat, her hips swinging slightly.

"Damn," Loke said, drooling slightly. All the guys were having trouble not looking at her perfect ass. Even Gray was glancing.

"That's Juvia?" Gajeel asked, honestly surprised. "She's fucking hot! When did that happen?" He didn't notice the small pout coming from Levy.

"Well, it seems like everyone in this class are friends," Juvia said, sitting right on Gray's desk. She looked over to Lucy. "Okay, almost everyone." She looked down to Gray. "You're pretty cute. What's your name?" She had her arms on the desk in such a way to accent her large chest.

"G-Gray," Gray stuttered. He was trying not to get a nosebleed. It wasn't his fault. Her chest was right in his face! With a low v-neck shirt like that, even girls would be getting nosebleeds at that range. The scent of the ocean flooded his senses. I girl that liked the rain smelled like the ocean. Nice.

Juvia put her manicured finger under Gray's chin, lifting it up. He visibly gulped. "That's a nice name, Gray-sama~" She made sure to say his name as sexily as she could. She started laughing before hopping off the desk. "I'm just having fun. It's nice to meet you all. I see you're doing well, Gajeel." The man in question just grunted and looked away, clearing not interested.

"You should sit with us at lunch," Mira offered, a smile on her face.

"I would love that," Juvia said with a smile, mostly looking at Gray. She found herself a new goal.

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	15. Chapter 15 (8-13)

**Today is a very special day for me, and I hope you all share the joy with me. One year ago, I published my first story here on FanFiction. (In the Woods, a Fruits Basket story.) It all really started when I had this dream. I thought about it and thought that it would be fun to see a story with the characters from Fruits Basket. I remembered that my one friend told me about FanFiction, so I decided to try writing. I really had no clue what I was going. It took me forever just to figure out how the website worked. But after I finished the story, I decided to write another one. And another and another and another... Looking back at old stories, I can't believe how much I've grown as a writer. I never even noticed that I became better. I guess practice really does make perfect.**

**So, in honor of my one year anniversary, I have a few special treats for you guys. First, I uploaded all my stories! (Not Meister and Reaper. It's still on hiatus.) So you may all enjoy reading updates on my stories in mass productions. The second prize for you all is a little more personal. I want to practice one-shots. If any of you have an idea for one, of just have a pairing request, PM me and let me know. I'll write it. And if I really like it and see potential, I'll eventually make it into a story. I'll write for any anime as long as I've seen it. Just ask me.**

**I really just want to thank you all for your love and support. I would have never imagined myself being this popular a year ago. I know I'm not super popular, but it seems like it when I write a story, wondering if anyone reads it at all. Just thank you so much.**

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**The rating of this story had changed. But honestly, I don't think I'm going to be writing any full lemons. I may, though. If I do I'll mark the section. This chapter had a little but of a lemon, but it isn't graphic, really, but I'll still mark it.**

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It was hard for Lucy. She had to watch Juvia drool all over Gray. It was Friday, and they all went out to the mall. Natsu came to her house and drug her with them. She was holding his hand, just like old times. They were in this jewelry store, since the girls wanted to be there.

"Look, isn't this nice?" Natsu asked, pointing to a necklace. It had a silver band on the end. Lucy nodded shyly. She knew that he was just trying to get her to have fun.

"Hello, sir, what can I help you with?" they heard the cashier ask. This jewelry store had isles, so they couldn't see who was at the counter.

"I'm looking for a charm for a charm bracelet. Like one of the keys that represent the stars?" a very masculine voice asked.

"In fact, I do have one. It's Leo the Lion," the cashier said. There was a moment before she spoke again. "This charm is very rare. It's one of the Zodiac. That means only one had been made. Well, with this set of collectibles."

"I'll take it," the man said.

"This costs 50,000 Jewels, sir. Don't you want a minute to think about it?" the cashier asked.

"I would may a million if I needed to," the man said.

"Whoa, someone's loaded," Natsu laughed. He looked at the other necklaces by him, trying to find another one Lucy would like to see.

Lucy took her hand from Natsu and lifted the sleeve up on that arm. She looked at the bracelet on her wrist. She felt tears swell in her eyes. Natsu looked at her, noticing her distress. She abruptly put her sleeve back down. She hugged herself tightly, suddenly feeling like she wasn't covered enough, even though she was wearing jeans and a hoodie.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Lisanna asked, appearing beside them. "We're all ready to go eat." Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand again and followed Lisanna to the food court.

"What do you want to eat?" Natsu asked Lucy. She just shook her head. She didn't want to eat. When he went to go get his food, she went over to the bathroom. She was about to burst out in tears any second, and she didn't want that.

"Hey, isn't that Lucy?" Levy asked, pointing to a hooded girl going towards the bathrooms. "It seems like she's upset."

"Gray, you should go check on her," Mira suggested. She earned a glare. "You guys haven't even talked for over a week. And something happened to her."

"I'm not going in the girl's bathroom."

Gray found himself being pushed into the girl's bathroom by a drunk Cana. He just prayed that no other girls were in there. But when he found Lucy sitting in the corner, her sobs echoing off the walls, he found himself not caring. He sat crossed-legged in front of her, not wanting to get too close.

"Go away," Lucy cried, hugging her knees tighter. He was the last person she wanted to see.

"Will you talk to me?" Gray asked. His stomach twisted when she told him to leave. "Did I do something wrong? You haven't talked to me." He thought it was weird that no one was coming into the bathroom, but he didn't realize that Mira and Cana were blocking the door, making sure no one came inside.

"I'm just stupid." Lucy resisted the urge to hug Gray. She really just wanted to hug someone.

"No you're not," Gray said. He moved to sit beside her. She leaned against him, so he put his arm around her shoulder. "What did you do to make you think that?"

"You," Lucy mumbled against his shoulder. She tried so hard to stay away from him, but she had to admit that she missed him. Not talking to him just killed her.

Gray chuckled. "That's what you're worried about?" She nodded. He bent his head slightly so his lips were hovering over hers. "It doesn't change anything. I'll love you just that same."

Before Lucy even had time to process what he said completely, his lips were latched onto hers. They haven't kissed that many times, but she found that she missed the feeling. Her arms went around his neck and into his hair. She fell onto his lap, so if she were to relax and lay down, she would be laying on his legs horizontally. Their mouths moved hungrily against each other's, the fact that they were sitting on a bathroom floor ever crossing their minds.

X

It was art class, the last period of the slow Tuesday that followed. Lucy was painting the ceramic bowl she made blue. The bowl was nothing close to perfect, but she was proud of it. She was also awful at painting, but it was better than leaving it the ugly gray of the clay.

"Good job, Lucy," Reedus, the art teacher, said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll make you into an artist someday, won't we?" She grinned and nodded. "That's right. Let's go take that to the kiln. There's time for it to dry before the end of the period." He picked up the bowl and took it over for her.

Lucy seemed to be a special case. All the teachers treated her like a small child, but she liked it that way. She didn't want to be treated like everyone else. Natsu's bowl was better than hers and he actually got yelled at for not trying enough. Of course, she wished she could be close enough to a teacher that they could joke around, but she was fine with the relationships she had.

After twenty minutes, the school day was over. Lucy happily grabbed her bowl and went out to the van where Layla was waiting. They had to go grocery shopping, and that took about an hour. Then Lucy asked if she could be dropped off at Gray's. She was just planning on showing up.

When Lucy knocked on Gray's door, he answered. She was a bit shocked at his state. He wasn't wearing a shirt, his gym shorts were hanging very low, and he either wasn't wearing underwear or they were lower than his shorts. His hair was dripping wet. She couldn't help but follow a drop as it rolled down his chest and curved around his muscles.

"Hey," Gray said. She snapped her head back up to his face. "I thought you were the pizza guy, but then I guess you would be super early." He looked behind him. "I'm alone, but you can come in. It's cool. I was just in the shower." He stepped aside so she could come in.

"What'd you come here for?" Gray asked, plopping down on the couch in the living room.

Lucy just stood in front of him, shifting her weight between her feet. "I-I," she stuttered. She squeezed her eyes shut and thrust a small box towards him. It was just a little cardboard box, nothing special.

"What's this?" Gray asked, taking the box. He looked up at her extremely red face. He couldn't imagine what it was. Carefully opening the box, he pulled out an object. It looked like a blue bowl a kindergardener made. He looked back at her uncomfortable face. Then it dawned on him. "Did you make this for me?" Lucy timidly nodded. She found an odd interest in the plant in the corner of the room.

Gray smiled and set the bowl on the table beside him. He pulled Lucy down and hugged her. She just blushed more. "You're so adorable," he said, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

"Gray," Lucy whined. His hair was getting her shirt wet, and he was still very shirtless.

Gray looked at Lucy's face. Blush was still lingering on her cheeks. He rubbed his thumb along her cheek. She realized that he was laying on the couch, and she was straddling his waist. When that happened was a mystery. He reached up and grabbed the sides of her hood, which was still up, and pulled her down to meet his lips.

Lucy moaned when he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She ran her hands up and down his chest, noticing how his jaw tightened. He seemed to relax rather quickly, because he started kissing towards her neck. Her mind started swirling. Were they going to do it? Is she okay with that? What will happen tomorrow?

"Is this something you want?" Gray asked, breaking the kiss. Lucy wouldn't have that. She grabbed his cheeks and brought him back up to her. He moved her back away. "Lucy, I seriously need to know." He didn't want her to think she had to.

Lucy let out a noise close to a whine. She wiggled uncomfortably under his gaze. She didn't want to have to be questioned. She just wanted it to happen. He could clearly see that at that point.

**So I guess this is where the "lemon" starts.**

Gray cautiously reached forward and slipped her hoodie off her shoulders. She shrugged it off faster than he though possible and kissed him again. He really wanted to laugh at her eagerness. From the looks of it, though, she just wanted to make out.

"Gray," Lucy said restlessly. She had her hands over his wrists. "Take it off." He gripped the hem of her shirt and tugged it up, noticing how she blushed. He took it off the whole way. She put her face in her hands, very embarrassed. He marveled at her bra. It was a medium shade of blue with black hearts on it He licked the crease between her breasts from the bottom to the top. Then he took time to suck on her collarbone. "Have you down this before?" she gasped out, surprised at how amazing it actually felt.

"Don't worry about that," Gray said casually. He grabbed her bra strap between his teeth and slid it down her arm. "You're driving me insane with your cute noises." That just made her whimper more. With a quick flick, her bra was off. Her breasts bounced free, causing him to lick his lips. She was at least a B, maybe a small C. That meant they fir perfectly in his hands. He lightly cupped them, making her gasp. She unconsciously ground against his growing erection. That made him groan. "Damn, why are you so sexy?"

"Don't say that," Lucy pouted. She loved that he thought that, but it was embarrassing. She quickly forgot about her embarrassment when she felt his warm tongue glide down her breast. He licked around her areola, avoiding her nipple. She grabbed his head, letting out a low moan. He gently grabbed her nipple in his teeth, pulling a little.

Shock filled him when she let buried her face into his neck and let out a muffled scream. He looked and saw that her shorts were completely soaked. He barely even touched her and she reached her limit so fast. He had to hold back his laughter. It wasn't as much funny as it was cute.

**If you skipped that part, you can start reading here.**

Lucy fell flat against him. He could hear her soft snores. "Damn, we need to work on that," he laughed. He quickly picked her up and took he up to his room. He couldn't let her go home a total mess, so he had to wait until she woke up. Then she could take a shower and get dressed, probably into Ultear's clothes.

While he was waiting, the pizza guy arrived. He had totally forgot about him. He just payed the man and took the food up to his room. Lucy was just waking up when he got there. She really wasn't asleep that long.

"How'd I get up here?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes like a small child. She yawned, meaning she was still very much tired.

"I brought you up here to sleep." He set the pizza box down between them and opened it. She made no move to take any. "You can have some, you know. You have to be hungry." He took a piece himself.

Lucy hugged her stomach, trying to surprises the growling, and shook her head. Her stomach betrayed her and let out a low growl. Gray shot her a look. She wiggled uncomfortably under his gaze. She suddenly realized that her shorts were wet. Remembering why, she shrieked and pulled the covers up over her face. How had she not realized that she didn't even have a shirt on? He wasn't sure how to put it on without waking her, so he just left it go.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gray asked, pulling the covers back down. She pulled them right back up. "Come on, at least let me see your face." She quickly shook her head, making him sigh. "You can go take a shower. I'll go into Ultear's room and get you some new clothes."

Gray led her over to the bathroom. He quickly showed her how to use the shower and gave her a towel. He waited outside for her to get into the shower, then he snuck back in to get her dirty clothes. He was thankful that his shower curtain was black, or she probably would have seen him. All in all, it was also good that he had his own bathroom.

Before he went and got new clothes, Gray decided to clean up a little. Just in case, he took the sheets off his bed and threw them in the laundry basket. He added her dirty clothes, then went to put then in the washer. The couch was completely clean, as expected, but he sprayed half a bottle of air freshener in the room anyways. He was doing things that were totally unnecessary, but he really just wanted to save himself, and Lucy, future embarrassment.

In the shower, Lucy was at a loss. The only soap in the shower was Gray's Axe Body and Hair Wash. Was she suppose to use that? If she was, what kind was she suppose to use? He had different scents. She just started smelling them. The chocolate one was her favorite. She decided to just use that.

She didn't even think about it, but Gray didn't have a bathroom when he was younger. It was probably a new addition. Maybe it was some kind of bribing thing to make him like his new lifestyle better? Or maybe just to add something new to his old house?

Curiosity was starting to fill her. She was in Gray's bathroom, after all. Did he have boring cotton balls in his drawers, or some secret diary that he didn't know where else to keep? Or he could be just normal and have normal stuff. She didn't even know why she cared. Nonetheless, she stepped out of the shower with it still running so Gray didn't suspect anything.

She didn't even know what to expect or even what she was looking for. She opened up the first little drawer attached to the sink and saw wash clothes. The bigger drawer below it had towels. It was the same with the other two. The cupboard below the sink just had a couple cleaning supplies. She opened up the mirror. The bottom shelf had his toothpaste and toothbrush. The second shelf had a few combs and a bottle of styling gel, which she couldn't imagine him using.

The top shelf is what made her heart ache. She understood that every guy had a few lying around, but a whole box? Was it full, or did he recently buy it? She pulled down the box of condoms and looked at it. She blushed when she saw that they were large. Quickly shaking the thoughts out of her head, she flipped open the flaps to look inside. The box was filled with all different brands. She was sure that he just shoved random ones into an old box. That made her heart ache even more. It meant that he's used them before. Of course he would have. He is pretty popular after all. Why wouldn't he be able to get girlfriends in the past? It's just her that hasn't been in a relationship. And that just made her realize that she's way out of her league.

"Lucy?" Gray asked, knocking on the door. "I got your clothes. Can I come in?"

Lucy jumped in surprised. She fumbled to get the box back into the cabinet and close the mirror. She hopped back into the shower, slipping as she did so. She managed to catch herself, though. "Y-you can come in!" she stuttered nervously.

Gray came inside and set the clothes on the counter for her. He actually had a hard time finding underwear for Lucy. He had to look in the very back of Ultear's drawer to find a smaller size that didn't fit her. That itself was awkward, since he was digger through his sister's underwear. Just so she wouldn't notice a pair of her shorts missing, he just grabbed a pair of his sweatpants. They would be big on her, but a least she had something. He really just didn't want to get caught. That would be beyond embarrassing. He's never had this problem before, since usually the girl's clothing was off pretty quickly...

"Thank you," Lucy said as calmly ad possible. She was blushing like crazy. The only thing keeping Gray from seeing her was a thin shower curtain, and that was embarrassing. He left as soon as he came, though. She quickly hoped out of the shower and dried off. She put her original shirt back on, but sort of freaked out when she couldn't find any of her underwear. Then she moved the sweatpants and saw that Gray brought her a matching set. She didn't even look at it as she put it on. The sweatpants were huge on her, so she actually had to hold them up.

Gray almost laughed when he saw Lucy exit his bathroom. The pants were so big it looked like Levy could fit in there, too. He was by no means fat, but she was borderline anorexic. She was that small.

Lucy shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. The heat just didn't seem to want to go away from her cheeks. "I-I think I should be getting home."

"I think Ultear left her car, so I can run you home," Gray offered. Lucy nodded quickly. He smiled and grabbed her hand, taking her downstairs. He couldn't help but think that they just took a step back with Lucy's shyness. And that just killed him inside, since he would be the cause. Yet again.

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**This chapter turned out to be pretty long. I really couldn't find a nice way to end it. I'm sure you guys don't mind the length, right?**

**Please support my other stories!**

**Please Review!**


	16. Chapter 16 (8-18)

"Are you excited to come home this weekend?" she asked curiously.

"I'm a little nervous," he confessed. "I already stopped a couple days ago to buy something."

"I here you have a special girl waiting for you?"

"Yeah. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

X

Lucy quickly shut her locker and scurried to the cafeteria. She sat down at the large table that would soon have all its seats full, curtesy of her friends. The only people sitting there were Gray and Natsu, at that point. She sat between them.

"Hey Lucy," Natsu said with his usual grin plastered on his face. She nodded towards him and looked down to her lap, twisting her thumbs with the fabric of her skirt.

Gray coughed. "Can I talk to you again?" he asked. It was Friday, merely two days being in between their night together at his house. She refused to even look at him, simply because she was so embarrassed. Their friends all noticed but didn't question. At the moment, Natsu was even eyeing them with interest.

"C-can y-you come o-over tonight for a m-movie?" she asked quietly. She wanted to make it up to him for the way she's been so incredibly shy all the sudden. Her dad went away on another business trip, so they wouldn't have to worry about another one of his surprise moments of bring protective. Her mom would be there, too, but she was okay with Gray there. Almost too okay.

"I'd love that," Gray said, a bigger grin than Natsu's spreading across his lips. Not only was she being less shy, but she asked him on a date, instead of it being the other way around. He reached out to grab her hand, thinking it was okay now, but she jerked hers back. He sighed, seeing they have yet to break the touch barrier that's sort of been formed.

X

The last period of the day was free time, since the teacher was absent. Everyone got to go outside and hang out in the school's gardens. Lucy sat leaned up against a tree, not too far by from where Gray was working on his math homework. She found an interest in watching his concentrated face.

It surprised her a bit when Juvia walked up to the picnic table Gray was sitting on. She sat down beside him a little too close for the blonde's comfort. She was just close enough to hear what was being said.

"Math? That's not very fun," Juvia said, a hint of a teasing tone in her voice. She leaned over to look at his paper, purposely squeezing her large breasts closer together with her arms.

Lucy looked down at herself. She was at least three sized smaller than Juvia. Looking back at the bluenette, observing her figure. She had very defined hips. Lucy's were nearly flat. Juvia had a round and big, but not overly big, butt. She's seen tons of guys watching her walk away, so she knew she had a really good one, to them. Hers was pretty flat. Juvia's legs seemed to be perfect as well. Everything about her was great. Even her hair shined in almost any lighting.

"I usually just copy off some nerd, but I need to make sure I'm doing it right to help Lucy," Gray said, not even looking up from his paper. That gave her a huge relief. But it was only a matter of seconds before he slammed his book shut and leaned back. "Okay, I really hate math."

"I have a great equation for you, though," Juvia practically purred. She was leaning even closer to him. "Me plus you plus dinner tonight equals?"

Lucy watched Gray smile and roll his eyes. "The cheesiest pickup line ever," he laughed. She didn't like the way he smiled at her. "I already have plans tonight. Maybe some other time?"

The bell rang right after that. Lucy got up and ran over to Natsu. She didn't like that Gray agreed to a date with Juvia. The awful feeling in the pit of her stomach was far from pleasant.

"You aren't waiting for Gray?" Natsu asked. He grabbed her hand, assuming that she wouldn't even want to hold Gray's. For whatever reason she's been acting weird around him, but he couldn't figure out why. He considered that they got into a fight of sorts, but he didn't know what it would have been about. Maybe Gray was jealous of Rogue or something. He couldn't be sure.

Layla was waiting outside the car. She smiled and opened the door for Lucy. "Did you have a nice day at school?" Lucy nodded and got into the car. "Thank you for walking her out, Natsu."

"It's no problem," Natsu said, a smile on his face. He said goodbye to Lucy before heading over to his bus.

Layla nodded in content and got into the driver's seat. "Is Gray still coming?" she asked Lucy. She didn't get a response, but she did see that Gray was walking towards the van. She unlocked the door so he could get in. "So how have you been?"

Gray put on a fake smile. "Pretty good." He was honestly worrying himself sick. What was he suppose to do? He did things Lucy wanted him to do, but he just ends up pushing her away more. If he told her 'no,' what would that make her think? Probably only negative things about herself.

When the three arrived home, Layla went to go start dinner. That left Gray and Lucy to sit in the living room until they could eat. They would all watch a movie after dinner. She sat on the couch, so he sat right beside her. He pretended not to notice her stiffen.

"Lucy," he sighed. "Why are you torturing yourself? Torturing me?"

"I'm not," she mumbled. She busied herself by kicking her feet gently.

"Don't even lie. You're pushing yourself to do things that you don't want to do, only to regret it later. Despite regretting it, you just do it again anyways. Then you take it out on me by ignoring me. When you actually talk to me again, you just do something you regret, continuing the cycle."

Lucy bit her lip. He was completely right. But how was she suppose to tell him that she just wanted assurance that he was attracted to her? With so many prettier and bustier girls surrounding him, she just needed the security. No words would leave her mouth, explaining her actions. Instead, she just leaned her head on his shoulder. "Sorry," she said quietly.

Gray took a risk by putting his arm over her shoulder. She didn't jerk away, so he kept it there. "How about you let me take the lead? It's my duty as a guy, you know. I plan stuff, and you just go along with it and look cute. You do that anyways, so it'll be a breeze for you."

Lucy blushed and jumped off the couch. She was not very good with compliments. She wasn't sure why, but it stood out to her that he said 'cute.' Honestly, she knew that she was overreacting. But a part of her was itching to know why he chose that word and not a stronger one. "Just cute?" she asked, clenching her fists.

"Yeah?" He didn't understand what she was getting so upset about. In his experience, girls loved to be called that. It was clear at that point that she wasn't the average girl, but that didn't even give him an idea as to why she didn't like being called that. Then again, she did imply that she wanted something else. Was that not a strong enough word for her?

He reached out and grabbed the back of her hoodie, pulling her back down beside him. Her surprised gasp was muffled by his lips. She was overtaken by surprise. It almost made her angry, though. She wasn't sure why. Either way, she pushed him away again. "Go home," she hissed.

Gray was taken aback. "What?" He wasn't sure that he heard her correctly. Why did she want him to leave? It was pretty obvious that she wasn't ready for him to touch her in any way, but go home? That seemed like a bit much.

"Go home," Lucy repeated herself. She got up and ran out of the room, not bothering to give him a reason.

Layla came in right after Lucy left. She looked pretty confused. "Is everything alright?" She almost certain that she saw her crying.

He sighed and stood up. "Lucy said she wasn't feeling well. I'm just going to head home, if that's okay." She nodded, speechless. He thanked her and went outside. A coffee seemed like just the thing to calm his nerves.


	17. Chapter 17 (8-30)

**Sorry about not updating for so long! **

**Please support my other stories and review!**

* * *

Juvia hummed happily as she strutted down Main Street, enjoying all the looks she was getting. She had received a pretty cruel wake-up call a couple montsh back when a few girls from her old school called her out. They told her everything that was wrong with her. She stopped talking in third person, grew her hair out, changed her style, and just walked around with more confidence.

Looking into the stores as she passed, she noticed a familiar face sitting at a table inside a cafe. He looked visibly depressed, so she made her way inside. After quickly ordering a coffee, she went to sit by him. "What's wrong, Gray?" she asked. "Didn't you have plans tonight with Lucy?"

He sighed and swirled the liquid in his cup around. "We had a fight." He didn't really know what else to call it. But what was the fight about? He called her cute. That couldn't have done it. Was it about the other night? He only did what she wanted. Was she regretting it? That was possible. She didn't even like him touching her anymore.

Juvia decided that this could be her chance to get close to him. "I'm sorry to hear that." She took a sip of her drink. "If you're okay with me asking, what happened?"

He winced slightly. "It's kind of complicated." He took a drink of his coffee, which was already cold. He slid it away from him, not planning on drinking it.

"I've got time." Juvia had a gentle smile on her face. Gray let out a small smile, as well.

For the next half hour, he poured his heart out to her. Everything from when Lucy first moved to the day at the amusement park. He even told her about two nights before, just not in many details. He pretty much said he reached second base. He may have said embarrassing things that he thought, but he wouldn't embarrass Lucy by going into detail about what happened with her.

Juvia thought a moment. "That's pretty complex. What's up with Rogue, though? He obviously loves her." She paused. "How do you know she isn't cheating on you?" The question hit him hard. "I mean, if she's suddenly being so shy and not wanting you to touch her, maybe she's with Rogue or someone now?"

"She wouldn't do that." He was more saying it for himself than anything. She could have been with Natsu, even. They've always been close, and he would be too dense to realize what she was doing. He shook his head. Those thoughts weren't helping anything.

"You just need to get your thoughts off things," Juvia said. She drank the rest of her coffee. "Why don't we go do something? I'm sure there's a movie playing right now."

For some reason, not a fiber in his being thought that was a bad idea.

X

After Gray had left, Layla ate dinner alone. She made a plate for Lucy, then cleaned up. The whole time she was wondering if something happened between the two.

A knock on the door made her sigh in relief. She opened the door, seeing Natsu was on the other side. She had used Lucy's phone to call him over. "Where is she?" he asked.

Layla stepped aside to let him in. "She's upstairs. Her door isn't locked, but it's clear that she doesn't want to talk to me. Maybe you can figure out what happened."

He nodded and went up the stairs. He never thought that the first time he was at her house it would be under these circumstances. He knocked twice on her door but revived no answer, so he just went in.

He was shocked when he saw Lucy. She was laying on her bed in just her matching underwear that was yellow with little white stars on them. That wasn't what surprised him, though. He was shocked at her body. He could clearly see her hip bones, most of her ribs, and her collar bones. He never even realized that she was so skinny. He never realized that anyone could be that skinny. He's seen all his female friends in swimsuits before. They were definitely attractive and skinny, but not like that.

"Lucy," he croaked out. He saw her squeeze her eyes tight, drawing attention to the fact that she was crying. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. All her clothes were on the floor, some ripped up. The mirror on her vanity was cracked. The makeup he's never seen her wear before was all over the floor. All in all, her room was a disaster.

He hesitated a moment before sitting beside her on her bed. He didn't even know what to make of the situation. What exactly happened to her? She was clearly upset about something. And why did she look like she starves herself? It's probably because she did. He knew that she ate a bento at lunch, but it was more like her picking at it. There was no way that she could eat regularly and be that tiny.

"You're hurting." It wasn't a question. She grabbed her sheets and tried to cover herself, but he stopped her. "What's wrong? Why did you do all this?" He noticed that she had little scrapes all over her arms and legs. They were bleeding a little. He figured it was from the glass. "Wasn't Gray suppose to be coming over?"

"Go away," she said. She tried to pull the covers back up. He held them down firmly. "Don't look at me. Just get away."

"What did Gray do? He had to have done something." He hated that pained look in her eyes.

Memories flooded her mind. All those girl that would look Gray's way when he passed. The box of condoms in his bathroom cabinet. Juvia drooling all over him. The way he would call her 'cute.' He would just innocently hold her hand, but never doing anything like putting his hand at her waist or on her thigh. It seemed like he was just doing things fifth graders would do. He just saw her as a fifth grade. That made get cry all over again.

"Shh, it's okay," Natsu cooed, pulling her into a hug. She sobbed against his chest, curling up into his lap. Why couldn't she have fallen for him instead? He wasn't a player like Gray.

An indescribable emotion built up inside her. She didn't know what came over her when she boldly kissed Natsu. She was just as shocked as he was, honestly. He almost instantly pushed her away. They both had wide eyes. Tears were flowing from hers, though.

"You better start talking," he snapped harshly. He was beyond mad. He didn't even care that she started to cry harder. In his mind, there was no excuse for her doing that. Combined with everything else she did, he wasn't very happy with her.

She put her head against his shoulder. "No one wants me," she cried. Her nails were digging into his sides, but he wasn't really concerned with that at the moment.

"Who fed you that shit?" he chuckle. He could tell by the way she was crying that she wasn't joking, but he figured he could try to lighten the mood by laughing.

Lucy started mumbling things. It sounded to him like she was naming all their female friends. He was very confused at first, but he soon realized what she was talking about. She was comparing herself to everyone around her. She was definitely smaller in every department, so it made sense, even though he knew it didn't matter what size she was. It really explained the smashed mirror and her clothing.

"I know exactly what you need," Natau said peppily. Lucy lifted her head up a little. "I'm taking you to Lisanna's. You two and Mira can have a sleepover tonight." He knew that the two wouldn't mind.

Knowing that Lucy would be in good hands, he decided that he was going to have a sleepover of his own. There were a few things that he needed to figure out. And it couldn't wait.


	18. Chapter 18 (9-7)

****A/N: I want to give a big thank you to everyone who reviewed in the last chapter. So I really want to start doing more things when I update, so I'll be adding some things to the author's notes. I'll try to do this with all my stories. I'll have the Review Corner, which is where I'll post my favorite reviews from the previous chapter. I'll probably always do a quote that reminds me of the chapter you're about to read, or just one I love. I'll also be putting the song I'm listening to while I post the chapter, just so you guys can see some cool songs to look up.****

**Review Corner: **

AttackonKings: _OH MY LORD! SO GREEAAATTT! Gray is just so clueless, but then again Lucy should really talk to him. I mean I understand why she would be feeling like crap because Gray doesn't notice her little changes in attitude that well. It's just so complicated on each side. I was so pissed at Juvia, she's such a thirsty bitch! UGGHHHH! Thank god Natsu had a clear head and didn't let his emotions for Lucy cloud his common sense and thinking. He could have had Lucy right there, but instead he wanted to help her which I thought was so nice. I can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter! Hopefully the situation gets better for both sides, but I'm not too sure. It seems from this chapter with Gray and Juvia, it will get worse._

**Quote:** You never lose by loving; you always lose by holding back. ~Barbara De Angelis

**Song: **Angel with a Shotgun by The Cab.

**One more thing!**** As you may know, if you read my story, _Bleeding Mascara_, I am going to be writing a novel. I decided that, if a few of you wish and think its a good idea, I would invite a few people to my Google Docs to read the story as I write it. You would get to add your input, edit, and be one of the first to read it. So if you are interested, PM me! You have to have an account on FanFiction to help out. Also, I'll check for a few things. If you write your own stories, that would be great, since you have experience writing. You don't have to write to help out, though. And if just want to be there to read and say what you think, that's great, too! I could use some feedback. I'm not sure when I'll start writing, but it will be a little while, since I'd want to get ahead on all my stories on here. So you all have plenty of time to think and decide if you want to help.**

* * *

Natsu walked up the Strauss' front steps, practically dragging Lucy behind him. She had a drawstring bag on her shoulders with everything she would need to spend the night.

After Natsu told her that she would be saying with Lisanna and Mira for the night, he made quick work of cleaning up her room. He put all her destroyed clothes into a box, hoping that they could be salvaged in some way. He noticed that a lot of kids wore cut-up clothes anyways, so they could probably make it work. She wasn't sure whether to be impressed or not about his lack of hesitating to put her underwear away. He was being very calm and unembarrassing about it, even when he had to help her change because of her distressed state. He told Layla what he was doing, apologized and warned her about Lucy's room, then quickly drove her to where they were at the current time.

The door opened after Natsu knocked the first time. Mira answered, a wide smile on her face. "Hello, Natsu," she said cheerfully. She looked down to Lucy, her smile falling. The blonde looked terrible. "What's going on?"

"Lucy's going to stay for a sleepover, alright?" Natsu asked, giving Mira a look. She understood that she didn't have a choice in the matter, not that she minded anyways. He leaned in close. "I want you to talk to her, alright? I'm really worried. Just...make sure she's okay," he whispered.

Mira smiled again. "Come on, Lucy!" She grabbed the blonde's hands. "We're going to have loads of fun!"

Lucy looked up to Natsu with pleading eyes. She felt like a child that was about to be left with her crazy family. He just patted her shoulder and went back to his car. She became very nervous.

"Let's get you inside," Mira said. She gently guided Lucy into the house. Lisanna was sitting on the couch, already eyeing them with interest. "Lucy is going to stay the night. Won't that be fun?"

Lisanna smiled. "How about I go order a pizza? I think we have some ice-cream in the freezer." She got up and went to go call the delivery guy. She came back moments later. "This is going to be great! We can paint our nails, do our hair, watch movies, dress each other up, and talk about cute boys!" She was trying her best to act overly-peppy to try to lighten the mood. Besides, she was almost positive that Lucy's never experienced an only-girl sleepover. They were totally different than ones with guys there.

It all happened so fast for Lucy. One minutes she was standing just inside the door, the next she was sitting in Mira's room on a pink beanbag chair. Lisanna was on a purple one; Mira on black. Dozens of colors of nail polish were sitting between them. The two sisters were already digging through, picking what color to use on Lucy.

"I really like this red."

"But this blue would match her eyes so well."

"What about this one?"

"Maybe this one?"

"No, we must do this."

"But what about _this_ one?"

It seemed like forever passed before they finally picked a color: sky blue. Lisanna shook the little bottle before removing the brush. She grabbed Lucy's hand and set it on her knee. Mira did the same with her other hand. They went to work immediately. They painted her nails blue, then added little red hearts. After adding a clear coat, they moved onto her toes, which they painted yellow. She never really had her nails painted before, so it was all new to her.

"Perfect!" Mira announced, putting the nail polish down. "I think we should all change into PJs, then we can do our hair."

Lucy watched as Mira and Lisanna took of their clothes. She looked at their seemingly perfect bodies. Their breast were the perfect size for them, their hips curved just right, and their legs long and endless. She brought her knees up to her chest and tried not to cry.

Mira noticed her distress right away. She knelt down beside the blonde almost instantly, Lisanna following her lead. "Aw, Honey, what's wrong?" Lucy didn't seem to want to answer. That's when she got an idea. "Why don't we all go take a bath? It'll be relaxing and calm us down."

"I'll go start the water." Lisanna exited the room, still only in her underwear. They were the only ones home, so it didn't matter. Their parents were always away on business trips, so they always had the house to themselves. That's really why Natsu wanted to take Lucy there: no parents to ask questions.

It only took a few minutes for the large tub to fill up. Lucy's nails were already dry, so there was no harm in her bathing. The three girls went into the bathroom, which had a bathtub closer to a spa than a normal tub. Lisanna and Mira wasted no time getting in, since they were so used to bathing together. Lucy awkwardly stood there, not wanting to take any of her many layers off.

"Lucy, you don't have to be embarrassed," Mira said in her motherly tone. "We're all girls here, right? Just come in. It's alright."

Lucy shook her head.

"I have an idea." Lisanna got up and grabbed a bottle of bubbles. She poured a hefty amount into the water. Mira helped her mix it around. "See? You can't see anything past the bubbles. Is that what you were worried about?"

Once again, Lucy shook her head.

Mira suspected that Lucy was just too shy to undress. The act itself was too much for her. She pulled herself out of the swimming pool-like tub and went over to the blonde. "It's alright," she cooed.

She unzipped her hoodie first. She watched her face, looking for any negative reaction, when she found none, she unbuttoned her pants. She wiggled herself out of them. Both sisters took a moment to marvel at how small her legs were. They were literally like chicken legs.

Deciding not to worry about that, Mira lifted up Lucy's shirt. She got a slight reaction, but it wasn't really anything bad. They had the same reaction that Natsu had. Lisanna had more of a chance to look at the blonde's body than her sister, though. "Can you do the rest?" Mira asked.

Lucy bit her lip. She felt like she was going to cry again. Just standing there in front of Mira when she was almost naked was making her earlier thoughts come back. She really wanted to be comfortable around them, so she knew that she had to do this. Biting back her tears, she shook her head. She couldn't bring herself to do it. It was beyond her comfort zone.

Mira nodded in understanding. She'd never dealt with someone so shy, but it wasn't hard to guess Lucy's reasoning. Reaching back behind her, she unclasped her bra. She tried not to pay attention to how she instantly stiffened. She found herself frozen in place once Lucy's top half of her body was completely exposed. The faded hickeys were just barely noticeable. It made her wonder how they got there. There was only one explanation, but she almost didn't want to believe it. Was that what was going on between her and Gray? Not wanting to be caught staring at Lucy, she slipped the remaining clothing off of her and quickly went back into the tub. Lucy, very hesitantly, followed.

"This is nice, huh?" Lisanna asked. Lucy blushed and nodded. It did feel relaxing. "I wonder when our pizza is going to get here."

Right on cue, the three heard a "hello!" coming from downstairs. "In the bathroom!" Mira yelled back. After hearing a few footsteps, the door opened. Loke stepped inside wearing a uniform and carrying pizza. "It took you long enough."

"You're having a party without me?" Loke asked, fake pouting. He set the pizza down and rolled up his pant legs. He sat at the edge of the tub and dunked his legs in. "It feels nice, though. I miss when we would all take baths in our swimming suits."

"That was just a couple weeks ago," Lisanna laughed. "You miss it already?"

While the three chatted back and forth, Lucy was completely mortified. Loke was just casually sitting there while the three girls were completely naked. She was extremely grateful for the bubbles at that point. Cowering away, she swam up behind Mira, gripping her shoulders.

"Oh," Mira gasped in surprised. "I guess I forgot. You don't think this, do you?" Lucy shook her head quickly. Mira looked back to Loke. "Sorry, but the house is a boy-free zone tonight." Lisanna giggled. "You have to go. The money is on the table."

Loke glanced over to Lucy, making the blonde hide more. He sighed and stood up. It wasn't hard to figure out that they were trying to cheer her up, considering how she's been acting lately. "I'll see you guys Monday then. And I'll pay for the pizza. Don't worry about it." He left the room, but sat along the wall outside. He wanted to know what was being said.

Mira turned around to face Lucy. "Isn't this fun?" The blonde shrugged. "Don't worry, you'll be having so much fun that you won't know what to do with yourself!"

Lisanna decided to try to figure out what was going on with Gray. The best way to do that was spark the conversation, even if she had to lie a little. "Mira, did I tell you what happened the other day?"

Mira knew the plan right away. She and her sister had a special connection. They always knew what the other was thinking. She let out a fake gasp. "Did something happen with Natsu?"

Lisanna acted as embarrassed as possible. "Uh, do you remember when we went out last Friday?" Mira nodded, stealing a glance at the blonde, who looked interested. "Well afterwards, we went back to his house." It wasn't hard for Lisanna to blush, since she couldn't imagine if what she was saying really happened.

Mira squealed, also thinking about the events being real. "No way! Did you guys-?" Lisanna nodded shyly. Lucy was blowing on the bubbles in the water in front of her, clearing uncomfortable. That didn't stop them, though. "I can't believe that my little sister is all grown up! It took you long enough, really."

From outside the room, Loke was rolling his eyes, trying not to laugh at their pathetic story.

Surprising everyone, Lucy boldly asked, "A-aren't you t-too young for that?" Her whole face heated up, the night with Gray replaying in her mind.

Lisanna and Mira shared a knowing glance. It seemed even more likely that something happened with Gray, and she was feeling guilty. Mira spoke, "Honestly, I don't think there really is such a thing as too young. Well, I guess you have to be old enough to realize what you're doing." She knew that Loke was outside the room, so she decided to embarrass him. "When I was fifteen, Loke and I got together." Lisanna tried not to gasp. That was a bold thing to say. Loke's face was so red he thought his head would explode.

Lisanna quickly recovered from the shock, even though it was just a lie. It was still surprising that she said that. "Its totally embarrassing to think about, but I love him, so I know it's okay. Besides, it was so amazing." She wasn't really sure what else to say, since she's never experienced that.

"What about you, Lucy?" Mira asked. "I'm sure that you have some experience."

Lucy's jaw tightened. What was that suppose to mean? They were probably just saying that, she figured, so she didn't need to take that the wrong way. "Oh, I don't know," she said, her whole face red.

Lisanna and Mira exchanged glances. She would be harder to crack than they thought.


	19. Chapter 19 (9-28)

**I'm sorry for any spelling errors! I didn't proofread this. And I'm REALLY sorry for not updating for a month. I'm going to update all my stories today, so don't worry. Time just got away from me. I'll try to be better. Promise. **

**Please Review!**

* * *

"Damn, what did you make me come so suddenly for?" Gajeel grumbled, pushing his way through Natsu's door. He was shirtless, only wearing swimming trunks. "I was swimming at the Swim Shak. Levy was fucking there. Levy! Do you realize how many times in my life I've even seen the girl's shoulder? And she was wearing a fucking bikini!"

"It's not like she has anything to show," Jellal said under his breath as he made his way inside.

"What was that?!" Gajeel asked angrilly, shoving Jellal's shoulder. Jellal shoved right back.

"Guys!" Natsu yelled, slamming his front door shut. "Will you all be quiet?! Stop fucking fighting! Damn." He brushed past them and started pacing in his living room. His two friends quickly followed.

"What has your panties in a twist," Gajeel laughed, plopping down onto the couch. "You're going to put dents in the floor."

"It's Lucy! Fuck!" Natsu cursed. He let out an aggravated groan. "Have you ever seen her in her underwear! Holy shit!"

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Jellal laughed. He fell silent. "Wait, you saw her in her underwear? Dude! Haven't you heard of the Bro Code? You don't just mess around with each other's-"

"Thank you, Mr. Asshole," Natsu said sarcastically. He sighed. "Sorry, guys. I'm just a bit on edge." He sat down on the other couch in the room. "Lucy is worrying the shit out of me."

"Sorry I'm late," Loke said, swiftly entering the room. He sat down beside Natsu. "I was at Mira's house."

"What were you doing there?!" Natsu asked angrily. That wasn't part of the plan!

"I delivered pizza for them," Loke began to explain. "Anyways, I have something to show you guys." He pulled out his phone. "They were all taking a bath when I got there. Mira let me in and everything, but Lucy got very uncomfortable, so I left. Something is seriously up with her. I guess that's why she's there, huh?" Natsu nodded. "Okay, so anyways, I just sat outside the room to listen. Mira knew I was there. Well things got a bit intense, so I recorded the sound."

"Something is really wrong with her," Gajeel said in disbelief. "I thought you were just messing around."

"Shouldn't we get Gray here, too? I think he should know what's up with his girl," Jellal said.

"Trust me," Loke said, shaking his head. "He really shouldn't be here for this. He caused so much of this, whether he meant to or not. He'd just freak out."

"Just play the damn thing!" Natsu yelled, getting impatient.

"I didn't record anything until Mira left the bathroom. She came out to talk to me," Loke explained.

_"I had a feeling you were here," Mira said. "So what do you think so far?"_

_"She seemed really defensive about you guys' fake stories," Loke laughed._

Gajeel paused the recording. "What is she talking about?" he asked.

"They wanted to get Lucy talking, so Lisanna made up a story about getting it on with Natsu, and Mira said she did it with me," Loke explained. He pressed play again.

_"I think she and Gray did something, even if just a little. She seems so awkward around him in general. With a shy person like her, he really shouldn't have done anything like what he could have. I guess that's his own dumb fault," Mira laughed. She stopped. "Are you recording this?"_

_"I need to show the guys later," he said. "Anyways, how are you going to get her to talk?"_

_"I think we'll just have to ask her and see what happens. Judge her reactions and see which topics are sensitive. We'll ask more about those." _There was a pause. _"I should be going back in. I'll make sure you know when we are leaving the room, alright?"_

_"Look, Mira's back!" Lisanna said excitedly. "So where were we?"_

_"Lucy's experience," Mira said in a teasing voice. _

_"I d-don't have experience," Lucy stuttered nervously. _

_"Honey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Mira cooed. "We've all had sex before. Even Erza and Jellal."_

This time Jellal stopped the recording. "What the hell?" he asked, his whole face red. "That never happened!"

"We all know you want it," Gajeel said, rolling his eyes. He pressed play.

_"B-but I never d-did!" Lucy stuttered again. "Not the whole way, at least."_

_"Well there you go!" Lisanna said. "That's experience. So what happened? Who was it with? How was it?"_

_"G-G-G-Gray," the blonde stuttered even harder. _

_Mira squealed. "Spill! Where was this at?"_

_"H-his h-h-house."_

_"Just once?" _

_"Tw-twice."_

_"How far did you go?" _With the questions coming so fast, it was hard to tell if it was Mira or Lisanna asking.

_"Th-this is em-embarassing."_

_"It's alright!" Mira said reassuringly. "The first time Loke and I were together, I only lost my shirt. The next time we ended up completely naked, but we never did the final step. It took until the third time!"_

Loke refrained from yelling out his complaints. He almost did at Mira's house, too.

_"Th-the first t-time j-just my shirt. Th-then h-he st-stopped."_

_"Why?_

_"H-he said I wa-wasn't r-ready."_

_"How did that cause problems between you?"_

_"R-Rogue said it r-ruins r-relationships. I th-though I m-m-messed up."_

Natsu and Jellal both scrambled to pause the recording. "That was that day!" they yelled in unison.

"What day?" Loke asked in confusion.

Natsu shook his head. "She suddenly didn't want to go to school again. I pulled her out of the car, but she struggled. Gray came over and stuff, but as soon as he grabbed her she started screaming like someone was killing her."

"Don't you remember that she fainted?" Jellal asked.

"That's kind of intense," Gajeel said awkwardly. He played the tape again.

_"But you guys were okay at some point. What changed that?"_

_"At the m-mall. He came in-into the bathroom. And we m-made u-up."_

_"So then this happened again?"_

_"At his h-house."_

_"Don't leave us hanging! Give us some details!"_

_"I-it was o-on his c-c-couch. We m-made out, then he t-took my shirt off. H-he took my bra off with his t-teeth. And he p-played with 'th-them' a little. B-but I...you kn-know."_

All around, the boys shifted a little.

_"Aw, why are you crying?"_

_Lucy sniffled a little. "I f-fell asleep. H-he had me t-take a sh-shower. I l-looked around his b-bathroom." Her sobs grew loudly. _

_"Honey, it's alright," Mira said soothingly. "What happened?"_

_"H-he had c-condoms. A l-l-lot."_

_"Gray's had past girlfriends," Lisanna explained, trying to cheer Lucy up. "But that was before you. You shouldn't worry about his past."_

_"B-but I d-don't d-deserve h-h-him. H-he could g-g-get anyone." Her sobs reduced to hiccups._

_"You're right. But he doesn't want any other girl. He wants you."_

_"J-Juvia."_

Natsu stopped the recording. He angrily grabbed his cell phone and dialed Gray's number. It rang a few times. _"Hello?"_ Gray said in a hushed voice.

"Where in the hell are you?" Natsu hissed.

_"I'm at the movies right now. What's up?"_

"Who are you with?"

_"Juvia, why?"_

"You bastard!"

_"Hey, calm down! We just ran into each other! What's the big deal?"_

"If I don't see your ass here in five minutes I'm going to kill you!" Natsu ended the call and threw his phone across the room. Luckily, it didn't break.

"Do you want me to?" Loke asked, gesturing towards the recording. Natsu nodded.

_"H-he just th-thinks I'm c-cute. N-nothing else! A-and he y-yelled at m-me the l-last time we h-hung out."_

"That's all the recording has," Loke explained. "After that they dropped the topic and went to eat. I have no clue what's going on right now."

Exactly five minutes later, Gray came bursting through the door. He stopped in the living room with his hands on his knees, panting. His sweat was mixing with the tears streaming down his face. He looked up at his friends. "I'm here," he said, faking a smile. He was about to fall over, but Jellal jumped up and got him. He set him down on the one couch.

"What happened to you?" Loke laughed.

"Sorry," Gray apologized. "You run clear across town in five minutes and look perfect when you get here." He was struggling to control his pants. "What did you need so suddenly?"

"We're just all hanging out," Jellal said. "Natsu thought freaking you out would get you here the fastest."

If Gray wouldn't have been too tired to stand, Natsu would have been through a wall. "Whatever," he sighed.

Loke coughed. "Anyways, Gajeel, you were telling us about Levy?" He wanted a way to bring up Gray's relationship with Lucy, and the best way, he thought, was to ease into it, just like Mira and Lisanna did. Plus, it was hilarious to watch Gajeel's face turn pink.

"R-right," Gajeel stuttered, completely taken by surprise. His mind was swirling, trying to figure out what to say. It would look suspicious if he didn't come up with something. He decided to just say something innocent. "I was going to ask her out, or something." In reality, their relationship was more of something other people expect. He could clearly tell that Levy liked him, but he wasn't really sure about her.

"Just screw her already!" Natsu laughed. With that comment, the conversation was no longer staged. They weren't even thinking about finding out about Gray and Lucy anymore. They were just messing around like usual.

"You can't just fuck her and be done," Loke said, shaking his head. "You could probably do that with Cana or someone, but definitely not with Levy. She's kind of fragile. And Erza would totally kill you if you broke her heart like that."

"Jellal can just distract Erza," Gray said, nudging Ella's side.

Jellal's face turned redder than Gajeel's had. "Don't say things like that," he mumbled. "I couldn't do something like that with Erza."

"Come on, you know she would just love it if you pinned her to the wall and had your way with her," Natsu said, making the other guys laugh and agree. "You two are just so timid when it comes to that. The only thing stopping you two is yourselves."

"Really," Gajeel scoffed. "Erza about faints when we just say your name."

"You just need to man up," Gray said.

"Same for you!" Loke said, remembering the original plan. "Why haven't you banged Lucy yet?" Gray turned red. It was embarrassing on its own that she ends up crying anytime he touches her. "Oh, so you have?"

Gray sighed. "Not entirely." He ran a hand through his hair. "You guys don't even get it. I don't even get her pants off before she's done." Of course, the guys already knew that.

"You really need to find a way to cheer her up," Natsu said.

Gray smirked. He knew just what to do.


	20. Chapter 20 (10-11)

**A/N: I had most of this chapter done, so I figured I should finish it to post today. You guys all had some great reviews last chapter, so it was hard to say my favorites.**

**Review Corner: **

Sahara Niseli: _So heartbreaking but in a beautiful way._

CelestialTitania: _And Gray is still an idiot_

**Song: **Bad Blood by Escape the Fate

**Quote: **What is the opposite of two? A lonely me, and a lonely you. ~Richard Wilbur

**Remember to review, enjoy, and support my other stories!**

* * *

"Oh, he's super cute!" Mira squealed, presenting the magazine page to Lisanna and Lucy. The three girls were flipping through the hundreds of magazines lying around the house.

Lucy smiled faintly as the two sisters ogled over the guy in the picture. She flipped through hers, not really interested. She wasn't one to look and point out guys. It wasn't her thing.

"He's pretty hot, too," Lisanna said, showing off another guy. Mira nodded in approval.

"I think I'm way hotter than that," a masculine voice said. All the girls turned, only to see Gray leaning against the doorway, a smirk on his face. Lucy blushed.

Mira scowled. "And what do you think you're doing here?" she asked in a snotty tone. "I don't remember inviting you." She still loved Gray and all, but at the moment, she was on Lucy's side. The sleepover was also meant to get her mind of Gray, not to have him show up!

"I'm here to steal Lucy from you," Gray announced. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped forward. Lucy flinched.

"You can't take her!" Lisanna yelled, hugging the blonde to her chest.

Gray rolled his eyes and tried not to laugh. He held his hand out to Lucy. "You coming?" He wiggled his eyebrows on a joking manner. "I have better ice cream than them."

Lucy giggled and grabbed his hand. Mira and Lisanna shared a smile. Of course they were worried, but it was nice to see neither crying. "I'll see you Monday!" Mira called as the two left the room.

Lucy looked at her hand linked with Gray's, her face red like a cherry. She didn't understand how she could cry about him one minute, but be swept off her feet so easily. Just being around him made all her worries disappear.

She got into the passenger seat of the car Gray drove. The ride to his house was completely silent. He didn't even turn the radio on. She kept herself busy by looking out the window.

When they got there, everyone in the house was asleep. Gray quietly led them up to his room. He locked his door and turned his light on. He pulled her down to the bed beside him. She fidgeted under his gaze, becoming more worried every second he didn't speak.

"Be honest with me," Gray said, finally breaking the silence. He was tightly gripped the fabric of his pants. "You're not into this, are you?" She was about to ask what he meant, but he answered her question. "I seem to make you upset every time I'm around you. I can't tell if you actually want this relationship or not. I know you're shy and all, but you're making it really damn hard for me."

Lucy swallowed hard. He thought she didn't like him. That was her problem with him. With so many girls, it was hard to tell how long he would be interested in her. Instead of answering him, she asked a question. "H-how many girlfriends have you had?"

Gray was surprised, to say the least. He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I never really counted. I mean, there's those meaningless flings that only last a week, long ones, and of course those in middle school that never really counted. More than twenty, probably."

Lucy nodded dryly. It took almost all her courage to ask the next question, even if it didn't come out the way she wanted it to. "Sex...how many?" Her voice was so shaky and dry she didn't form a completely sentence.

This time, Gray was more cautious about answering. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Of course she had to ask that. If she asked for names, though, he would just about die. With her already lacking in her self confidence, it was painful to spit out, "Two."

Lucy let out a breath of her own. That wasn't too bad. She could handle two. That was just two people in his whole life. The first was probably just experimenting like some teens seemed to do. That meant only one really counted, which was at least expected.

Gray moved his leg up on the bed so he could face Lucy. He grabbed her one hand and started playing with her fingers. "You don't need to worry about that. It's all in the past, and I want to be with you now. I'll take things as slow as you need me to. I'll wait a year just to hold your hand, if that's what you want. I don't want to pressure you into doing something that you aren't ready for."

Lucy felt tears form in the corner of we eyes. Once again, Gray was proving to be too good for her. She knew that he meant what he said, and it had to be the sweetest thing anyone's every said to her, but she knew that he wouldn't think that way forever. It's not part of human nature to want to wait for things. And there were millions of girls who wouldn't make Gray wait.

She didn't want to be that girl. She wanted to be able to have a normal relationship where the guy can do whatever he wants and the girl is fine, not whatever game they were playing.

"We'll just have to figure out what's okay," Gray said with a charming smile that would melt any girl's heart instantly. "Together."

Lucy smiled wider than before. She slowly took her hand away from his, making him look up at her in confusion. She just held her hand up. He smiled and laced his in hers. It felt nice. She thought about how many girls got the chance to hold his hand. Less girls have gotten to hug him. Cautiously, she held her other hand up and put it towards his shoulder. Her hand was shaking a little, but she quickly stilled it.

The hug was pretty awkward at first. She kind of draped her left arm over his shoulder, her chin on his right, her right hand still linked with his. He smile, seeing that she was testing the waters. He wrapped his free hand around her waist. Once she seemed used to it, he tightening his grip. It felt nice to hug her without her stopping because of whatever bad reason.

She did pull away, however, but it wasn't for a bad reason. She moved their entwined hands to the side of her face. He freed his hand and rubbed his thumb along her cheek. She looked at him, silently asking him. He complied by slowly leaning forward and kissing her cheek. She did the same to him, but hers lasted significantly less time.

Lucy stopped to think. If twenty girls have gotten to hold his hand, maybe only fifteen got to hug him. Ten would have gotten to kiss him. Five spent the night. Only two had sex with him. It wasn't that hard to feel special, in theory, yet she had a hard time.

Looking up to his face, she could see his eyes watching her carefully. He was waiting for her next move. She gently put her hands on his shoulders. His eyes roamed over her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She swallowed hard and leaned forward, childishly putting her lips to his. He reacted almost instantly, putting his arms around her. She flinched back, though.

Gray wasn't quite sure what he did wrong. She was staring at him with wide eyes as if he surprised her. Did she not like him touching her? He looking carefully and noticed that she had her arms wrapped around her stomach. She wasn't doing that before. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Don't you like me touching your waist?"

Lucy bit her lip and looked at her lap. She knew that Natsu, Mira, and Lisanna have all seen her without a shirt. They seemed disgustingly surprised by her midsection, the way her bones stuck out. Gray obviously never noticed, but by seeing the other's reactions, she didn't want him to.

An idea popped in Gray's mind, making him smirk. He grabbed Lucy's hands, and before she could ask what he was doing, he flipped her over so he was laying on top of her. Her face went scarlet. What she didn't expect, though, was for him to start tickling her. "Shh, you don't want to wake my family up," Gray laughed. She closed her mouth, trying to contain her laughter, but a few giggles escaped.

Gray was glad to see her laughing to the point of tears, since she did seem sad a lot. He stopped tickling her and dropped her her side, an arm still around her hip. He let out a sigh and put his nose into her hair. "I'm sorry that I screwed things up. I won't let it happen again."

Lucy smiled, happy that everything would be okay. There was a lot she wasn't about to ask and more she wouldn't say, but it would all turn out alright. At least for now.


	21. Chapter 21 (11-28)

**A/N: This chapter is pretty short, but I left a cliffhanger. So enjoy :)**

**Review Corner: **

s0ulmatch3r: _AWWWWW SOOOO CUUUUUTE_

LuxrayGray: _Gray makes up with her! Can't wait for the next chapter!_

XxX12KeysXxX: _Gray *tsk* Gray *tsk* Gr-ay *sigh* Can't you take a hint? Geezzzz why can't Gray realize that Lucy feels like she cannot compare to other girls? Lucy is adorable and Gray is ignorant._

**Next to Update: Perfect for You**

**Please review!**

* * *

If you were to say that everyone went back to normal, it would be impossible to believe you without saying exactly what "normal" was. Was it the way Lucy would gently smile at Gray when they passed in the halls? The way Layla had to pull Lucy out of the car? Or what about the way that Lucy would cry after someone spoke to her?

"Due to the raging blizzards, flights for the military will once again be postponed. A small train will begin to transport troops back to Magnolia, but some won't make it back until a month. A few words of opinion from..."

The TV report was a dull background noise from downstairs. Gray was sitting on the floor with his legs spread out. Lucy was sitting against him, silently reading her book. She perked up after the news report, though. The book she was holding fell to the floor.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gray asked. He rested his chin on her shoulder, hoping that she was okay. It's been a week since their makeup, and he wasn't exactly happy. It was still a slight struggle for her to go to school, she still didn't like him very close, and she's cried four times around their group. She took at least three leaps backwards. Everyone would ask if she was doing better. All he could do was smile and avoid the question.

He couldn't quite tell what was wrong with Lucy. She seemed so distant all the time and a little bipolar. It was hard to think of a time when she didn't have him questioning the universe. He was left so bewildered. There would be moments when she didn't like him looking at her, then things like this happened where they were sitting so close together.

Lucy stiffened, as if just realizing that Gray was there. "Nothing," she said quietly. She gently rested her hand over his, which was laying innocently on her knee.

Gray sighed and looked out the window. Snow was swirling around as it fell from the sky. The ground was very well covered. An idea popped into his head. "Let's go play outside!" He quickly stood up, pulling her up with him easily. He went over and picked his jacket up off the bed, slipping it on in seconds.

"Play...outside?" Lucy whispered to herself. She walked over to her window and peered outside. She could see herself running around and laughing as a child. There was another child with her, but the image was blurring. She couldn't see him for some reason, yet she knew exactly who it was.

She felt weight rest on her shoulders. She looked up. Gray was smiling back down at her, his elbows resting on her shoulders. He had that stupid lopsided grin that she loved so much on his face. "You're always zoning out," he commented with a short kiss to her forehead.

Lucy's cheeks turned scarlet. He kissed her as if he did it all the time- so naturally. And even more naturally than that, he kissed her nose. Gently grabbing the lower half of her face, he pressed his lips to hers in an upside-down kiss. She squirmed under him, but this time he wasn't letting her go. One of his hands just moved to snake around her waist.

Lucy heard a lot of commotion downstairs, but she was too busy trying to get away from Gray. He had turned her around in his arms so he could kiss her properly. She melted against his arms the moment his tongue traced her bottom lip. He thought she was being bipolar all the time, but before he said he would wait a year just to hold her hand. He was doing way more than that without her permission. He began kissing her jaw, which made her sigh out his name.

"She's upstairs in her room."

It was faint, but Lucy heard it. The sound of footsteps ascending the stairs got louder and louder. Down the hallway, then to her door. The slight clatter of the person grabbing the doorknob, then a sigh, clearly from a man. Just as Gray began working his hands up her shirt, the door opened.


	22. Chapter 22 (1-7)

**Notice 1: I'm really sorry for not updating for so long! A lot was going on for me with all the holidays and what-not. Right now I actually have this nasty lung infection. Not to gross anyone out, but I cough so much at night that I make myself throw up, sometimes up to six times. It's pretty gross. I didn't go to school yesterday, and today I had off, so I was home for two days. I just got my computer last Saturday, so I will be posting more often (hopefully). I've spent the last few days downloading music and playing World of Warcraft. I hadn't been able to play it for three months, since my dad's computer is awful for gaming, so I was really excited to play again. I wouldn't say I'm bored with it, but I got it out of my system, so I won't be fully engrossed in the game. **

**Notice 2: Hello readers :) I'm posting this notice on all of my stories, so, if you already read this on a different story of mine, you can just skip this paragraph. As you have probably heard, I was going to build a computer. It is amazing for me to say that it's finished! I know have my own computer in my room that I can write with whenever I please and as late as I please, which is really convenient. Before, I had to write on my phone. My dad has a computer in the dining room, but my family doesn't know I write; I'm uncomfortable with the idea of them knowing. The point is that I can write more! I made a folder on my computer for FanFiction. I put all the chapters and notes I had on my FanFiction account and my phone into folders according to the story. Then I went through all of my messages on here to sort them. I made a list of all the requests I have gotten for stories and wrote a list of everyone who wants to help out with my novel, which I am still accepting help for. (Even having readers are helpful. Not everyone has to help edit.) I do have a plan for the future with my writing. I would like to write quite a lot of chapters in advance for all my stories, including the sequel for _Perfect for You_ which I will then write. Then I'll take some time to do all the requests I have gotten for stories. And after that long process, I can finally begin my novel. Anyways, I hope you will all be patient and supportive through this adventure of mine. I really enjoy writing for you all, so I hope you will all stick around to see everything I have planned. I love you all! *hugs***

**A/N: This chapter is really dull. I really just wanted to put something up for you guys. The next chapter will really tie up some lose ends. It seems like for the last few chapters I've just been throwing things at you and not really connecting the story. The next one or two will sort of bring it all back into one story again, if that makes sense. **

**Next to Update: Stained in Blood**

**Please review and support my other stories :)**

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"She's upstairs in her room."

It was faint, but Lucy heard it. The sound of footsteps ascending the stairs got louder and louder. Down the hallway, then to her door. The slight clatter of the person grabbing the doorknob, then a sigh, clearly from a man. Just as Gray began working his hands up her shirt, the door opened.

Time seemed to work slowly for Lucy. Gray's hands were just around her bare waist, which wasn't entirely compromising, but they were kissing pretty heavily. She noticed the door open before Gray did, so she was the one to push him away. He was quite surprised, so he inevitably dropped her. She fell against the floor and hit her head against the wall with a loud bang. The room spun for a moment, but her eyes eventually focused on her father standing in the doorway, not looking too pleased. She had completely forgotten that her father left on business a couple weeks before and would be coming home that night.

Gray was about to ask Lucy if she was okay and why she fell like that, but he noticed she was looking at something behind him. Then he heard someone clear their throat. He slowly turned around, already knowing it was Jude. The second he locked eyes with his, his whole body turned cold.

"What do you think you were doing with my daughter?" Jude asked angrily. He stepped forward as if he was going to hit Gray.

"Don't!" Lucy yelled out, jumping to get feet. She moved between the two men, facing Jude. A sudden wave of shyness overcame her as she looked beyond her father. Leaning along the wall in the hallways across from her door, slightly hidden by the shadows, was Rogue. A blush crept up her cheeks. She wasn't sure if the situation could get any more disastrous. Her father wouldn't be happy about her being close to a boy like that, and Rogue would definitely be jealous and a little hurt.

"I can't believe you would be so lude," Jude mumbled under his breath. He cleared his throat. "Rogue came by to pick you up." He gestured to the boy behind him.

Lucy became confused. Why wasn't her father lashing out at her? More importantly, where was she going? That's exactly what she asked, too. "I didn't know we had plans tonight, "she said.

Jude looked almost proud. "You are going on a date tonight." He looked smuggly at Gray, then back to Lucy. "That's all I have to say, so I'm just going back downstairs. I would get ready if I were you. It would be rude to keep such a lovely gentleman waiting." And, with that, just as he said, he turned around and went back downstairs like a peacock strutting his feathers.

After a long silence, Rogue stepped forward into the room. It looked as if he was going to say something, but Gray was quick. He came forward and grabbed Rogue by his shirt collar. Rogue was taller, so he couldn't really lift him up to intimidate him, but that didn't stop him from getting right in his face with an almost deadly look in his eyes. "I don't know what exactly you're planning," he began, "but I don't want to hear about you touching a hair on her head. I could care less about you or how close you are to this family. Lucy is /my/ girlfriend and I'm not about to let you take her away from me just because some dick of a father liked the idea. I'll play along with this for now, but that's only because I don't want to force Lucy to go against her father. I know that scares her. I'd think you'd be considerate enough to think about that before you make decisions for her and involve her father, but apparently not."

A deeper blush than before crept up the blonde's cheeks. She was terrified and happy at the same time. Never before had someone stood up to her like that. Gray was definitely acting possessive and violent, but with the best of intentions. She was almost proud to say she was his. What was most terrifying of all, though, was the look on Rogue's face. He didn't look intimidated at all. He was donning a smirk that almost beat Gray's.

Rogue leaned into Gray's ear and spoke so quietly that Lucy couldn't hear. "I think _you're_ the one who doesn't understand what's going on." His voice was cold and menacing. "You think that you can just waltz in here after all this time and be the hero? I promise you that it doesn't work that way. I'm not going to let some asshole pretty boy ruin what I have worked so hard towards."

Rogue learned back and patted Gray's shoulder. He looked over to Lucy. "Is it alright with you if we go hang out? I hadn't realized that you had...company over. I just wanted to surprise you." Gray didn't miss the way he received a glare during the pause in his dialect.

Lucy felt a little relieved. She thought something bad was going to happen. And, since Rogue just wanted to hang out, she relaxed considerably. If it were really a date she would have freaked out, afraid of all the bad things that could happen. "I'd love to!" she said happily, smiling. She looked to Gray innocently. "Is that okay with you?"

Gray had no choice but to clench his fists and agree. He wasn't about to be the needy boyfriend that couldn't be away from his girlfriend for more than five minutes. It just pained him how easily Rogue could step in and act so perfectly innocent. He knew that Rogue was trying to break him way from Lucy; it was all too easy to see. It just amazed him how he was the only one that noticed.

"I'll just get ready then," Lucy said, breaking the silence in the room. "Wait for me downstairs?" she asked Rogue. He smiled and nodded, making his way out of the room, but not before shooting a glare towards Gray. Lucy just smiled and looked to Gray. "I'll see you at school then?"

Gray made a pouting face. "Can't I stay just a little bit longer?" He put his arms around her waist, attempting to kiss her, but she just giggled and pushed him away. "Come on, we were totally having a moment before he showed up."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Rogue lives kind of far away, so I don't get to see him much. You live five minutes away. We'll have plenty of moments together." She went over to her closet to pull out a nice shirt. "It's as if you're jealous of Rogue," she laughed.

Gray sighed. Of course he was jealous of Rogue! He was trying to take his girlfriend away from him! With her innocence, though, it was no wonder why she didn't see it. She also didn't understand what he meant by "moment." That was just like Lucy, though, not understanding what he meant, thinking about things on such a basic and plain level. That's what he loved about her, though. He liked that she didn't jump to conclusions like the other girl's that he's dated, but it would be nice for her to get jealous once in a while. He always found jealous pouts cute.

"You have to leave so I can get ready," Lucy said, pushing him towards the door. "Like I said, I'll see you on Monday." She quickly hugged him around his waist before closing her door.

Gray sighed as he slowly walked down the stairs. He said goodbye to Layla, skillfully avoided Jude, glared at Rogue, and went out the door. As he started walking down the street, he looked at his phone. He really wanted to go to someone's house to clear his head. He was going to call Loke, but he was probably out with one of his girlfriends. Natsu was too much of an idiot. Gajeel never really appealed to him. He smiled when he saw Jellal's name. They hadn't hung out in a while. The only thing he would possibly be doing would be hanging out with Erza, but she was at a Karate tournament. He sent the bluenette a text saying he would be over soon. A perfect distraction.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: This chapter was half the length originally, but I decided to combine it with what was supposed to be Chapter 24 so you guys got an extra long chapter. So enjoy :)**

**Next to Update: Stained in Blood**

**Please Review!**

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When Gray opened Jellal's front door, he was expecting to see Jellal's mother cooking in the kitchen. His father would be sitting in the living room watching TV. Levy would be sprawled out on the floor reading a book. Jellal would probably be in his room playing video games or working on extra homework he didn't get done yet. But that's not what he saw at all.

Gajeel and Natsu were sitting on the floor across from each other, both downing shots one after another. They had five cups sitting in front of them. He only assumed they were racing to see who would finish them first. Levy and Lisanna were chatting in the corner, both casually drinking beer. Cana was drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey, her arm around Mira's shoulders, both cheering on Gajeel and Natsu, neigher really picking a side. Juvia, Jellal, and Loke were talking together on the other side of the room, each with cups of Pepsi and rum.

Loke was the first to notice Gray. He smiled and waved him over. The raven haired boy sighed and sat down between Loke and Jellal, across from Juvia. Loke poured him a cup of half-and-half like the rest had. "We all figured you were off banging Lucy, so we didn't bother inviting you," Loke laughed. He hit his plastic cup against Gray's.

Gray was very greatful for the drink. He took a long sip, happy to feel the burn of the alchohol. He didn't want to think about what Rogue and Lucy were doing.

X

"So where are we going?" Lucy asked as she looked out the window. Rogue had brought his mother's Prius with him, so she didn't get the pleasure of his Lamborgini. She didn't really care, though, since cars didn't really thrill her.

"I figured we could just walk around town, maybe stopping at a cafe," Rogue said casually. "I bet they have all the Christmas lights on." He looked over at the blonde beside him and smiled. She was wearing an orange hoodie, which he's seen her way a couple times, although he wasn't sure where she got it. He didn't even think she liked the color. She had put on a pair of light blue jeans and her fuzzy brown boots. He really loved how simple she was, as did Gray.

"Oh, wow!" Lucy gasped, moving her hands to the window. Lights were strung all around the city. A huge tree was at the center, an ice skating rink around it. Families and couples were skating around, smiles on all their faces. There was a booth near the tree that had a sign that said MAKE YOUR MARK in big, bold letters. Looking closely, she saw that you made ornaments there to put on the tree. "Rogue, can we make one?" she asked excitedly.

Rogue smiled at her childish excitement. "Sure," he said easily. He found a spot along the road to park. Getting out, he ran around to open her door for her. She smiled up at him and climbed out. Snow was lightly falling from the sky, which made her let out a small giggle. He grabbed her hand, which she didn't mind at all, since she took it as a friendly gesture, and they started walking towards the booth.

A short man with a long beard and a goofy grin was working. "Grab a seat, grab a seat!" he said excitedly. Rogue and Lucy sat on two stools. "We have a few differnet ornaments to make here, so take a look and let me know when you've decided." He slid a piece of paper over to them.

Lucy's eyes roamed over the whole thing. There were so many to choose from: stars, hearts, orbs, trees, and the list went on and on. She decided on a classic ball. There weren't many steps to decorating it at all. She decided to paint the ball dark pink. She found blue and silver glitter to use. After putting some holiday stickers on, she was finished. She proudly held up her craft to Rogue. He couldn't help but smile.

"If you'd like, you can get your picture taken for an extra two dollars. You can paste in on your ornament," the man said. Lucy looked up at Rogue, making the decision up to him. He could see that she wanted the picture, so he told the man they wanted the picture. Rogue put his arm around Lucy as she smiled brightly. "Perfect!" the man said. He quickly printed out the picture on special sticker paper and gave it to Lucy. She stuck it on, smiling at her and Rogue's faces. "Your total if five dollars, then." Rogue handed the money over. "You can take this home with you or put it on the tree. If you put it on the true you can fill out a card and we'll deliver it to your house after Christmas."

Lucy thought a moment. She pointed over to the tree. "We'll put it on the tree," Rogue said, talking for Lucy. The man handed them a card to fill out. As she did that, the man put a sticker with the number "87" on the bottom of the ornament, so they know it's hers later on.

"Thank you," the man said as he took the card. "You two can go put that on the tree. Have a wonderful holiday!"

Rogue thanked him before leading Lucy over to the tree. She had to walk across the ice, so they had to watch out for skaters. He ended up holding onto her shoulders the whole time so she didn't fall. When they finally made it over there, she looked to find the perfect spot. She noticed that all the ornaments were lower on the tree, probably because mostly kids made them and wanted to put them up themselves. Much to her surprise, Rogue lifted her up by her waist. She blushed and squeeled, surprised by the gesture. He set her on his shoulders and smiled up at her. "Rogue!" Lucy gasped. He started laughing ."It's not funny," she pouted. She sighed and looked back at the tree. She carefully hung her ornament.

"Do you want to do some ice skating?" Rogue asked, setting her back on the ground.

"Can we go to the cafe first?" she asked, visibally shivering .

Rogue took off his peacoat and put it on her. "I don't really care what we do as long as I can spend time with you," he said charmingly.

Lucy just blushed and nodded, completely at a loss of words.

"I've never cheated on a test," Levy admitted, taking a swig of her beer. Jellal and Lisanna followed.

"I've never had sex with a guy," Gajeel said, not sure what else to say. He took a long sip of his beer. Jellal and Natsu took a drink, as well.

"Loke!" Mira gasped. Her eyes scanned around the room. "And Gray? You guys have /both/ slept with guys?" Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me..."

Gray's face turned completely red. "No way! I was just texting Ultear," he blurted out. "Geez, have some faith in me."

Loke shivered. "I have never been so drunk in my life," he said lowly. Everyone laughed.

They were all sitting in a circle in Jellal's living room playing a drinking game. Whoever's turn it was would admit something. Anyone who agreed with them would have to take a drink, as well. When Levy said she never cheated on a test, Jellal and Lisanna drank because they hadn't, either.

"I've only ever slept with one person that I actually loved," Cana said in a drunken slur, staring right at Gray as she spoke. He smirked and took a drink looking back at her. They weren't even watching to see who else drank.

"I'm in love with someone," Lisanna said. Everyone else in the room drank, aside from Natsu, who was too oblivoius to know anything about love. Lisanna sighed at this and downed the rest of her beer in one go. "Mira, let's go home." She briefly said goodbye to everyone before all but running outside, her sister in tow.

"I'm going to get more beer," Gray said, looking at his empty bottle. He noticed everyone else's were almost gone, too. He stumbled out to the kitchen. It was hard to believe that Jellal of all people would hold a party like this, but he and Levy were good enough kids that their parents wouldn't suspect anything. He swung open the fride and pulled out enough bottles for everyone.

"Hey," Cana said, entering the room. She took half the bottles and set them on the table. Gray looked at her in confusion. She just put her hands on his shoulders. "I really miss you."

"Cana," Gray said in a firm tone. "That was-"

She put her thumb over his limps. The action didn't stop him from stopping, but he was shocked. "We dated for almost two years," she said with a small smile on her face. "Why did we break up again? I don't even remember." She chuckled slightly.

"You slept with Loke." He let out a sigh. "Cana, that was a year ago. Why are you even bringing this up?"

"Damn, I love it when you say my name," she whispered, moving practically flush against him. "Don't act like you never think about me still." She moved her lips so they were just beside his ear. "Don't act like you don't miss us." Her lips hovered just over his. "Or that you don't want to kiss me."

It wasn't hard for Gray's mind to completely shut down. He would never admit it out loud, or to himself, but he really did miss her. Two years of his life slipped away in a single moment when he found Loke and Cana together a year before. It would definetely be a lie if he didn't miss her. There was absolutely no closure with their relationship; things were left unsettled. Even so, he was falling for Lucy harder than he ever had for Cana. But for some reason his brain wasn't able to stop him from kissing Cana senseless, practically laying her on the counter. There was no doubt that the alchohol he's been drinking was clouding his sense of judgement. If he even remembered this in the morning he would feel terrible, but if he didn't and Cana did, problems could start. He wasn't thinking about that, though, not one bit.

"Juvia told me that she was interested in you," Cana said as she tried to catch her breath. She was lightling gripping the sides of Gray's head, her forehead against his. "She said that she could deal with Lucy, but when she found out that we had history, she gave up on you. She said it was too much work for her to take you away from both of us."

"Stop talking," Gray mumbled, swooping down to kiss her again. His hands were running all around her bare torse, since she only ever wore those swim tops, completely lost in it. She had one hand tightly wound in his hair, another gripping his hip as if he would disappear if she let up on bit. It was amazing that no one was looking for them yet. It seemed like they've been gone for hours. In reality it's only been a couple minutes. And to the drunk teens in the living room it's only been seconds.

"Gray," Cana sighed out. She lighting brushed her lips against his neck, making him shiver. He remembered her touches all too well. They were completely different than Lisanna's. The two had gotten together when they were both thirteen, both all too curious about how relationships and the whole "sex" thing worked. It was completely an experiment. A month later Gray started dating Cana, when he had just turned fourteen. "Give me one night," she said, bringing him back to the present. "You have to give me a chance before anything gets too serious with you and Barbie."

Gray didn't even finding himself getting angry that she called his girfriend "Barbie." He didn't get angry that she suggested such a thing. Oddly enough, they both made their way outside, not bothering to say bye to anyone. They hopped into Cana's car and she starrted driving very slowly. She could barely walk straight, so she didn't go very fast. Gray was in a daze the whole ride. They eventually made it to Cana's, though neither were sure how much time had passed.

The two snuck up to her room, hoping not to wake Gildarts. The moment her door closed, they were in a frenzing. Clothing went flying, neither really thinking about what they were doing. It was all an automatic thing. Gray hadn't been with anyone since Cana, and she hadn't since a week after she broke up with Gray when she got with some random guy from another school to get her mind off things. So there they were, touching, licking, and biting anything they could just to be closer, neither thinking about what would happen when they were both sober in the morning.

X

Lucy smiled as she got home from her "date" with Rogue. After they both drank hot chocolate and had a sandwhich from the cafe they stopped at, they went back to the center of town to ice skate. Lucy was terrible at it, so she was practically hugging Rogue the whole time in her efforts not to fall and break something. They awkwardly fumbled around the rink, laughing, for almost an hour before they decidede to walk around town. They browsed through stores, not buying anything, but having fun just they same. They tried on some goofie hat, looked at dresses they both thought she would look nice in, which she found embarrassing but enjoyed all the same, and just found some things they'd like for Christmas. Now they were back at Lucy's house.

"Did you two have fun?" Layla asked as they entered the kitchen. She was just finishing up the dishes she hadn't done from dinner.

"Mmhmm," Lucy hummed, moving to briefly hug her mother.

"It's getting pretty late," Rogue said, looking at the time on his phone, "and we have school tomorrow." Lucy groaned at this, not wanting to go. "I'll see you another time then. Maybe I'll bring Sting and Yukino with me next time." He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. She smiled and burried her face in his chest for only a moment, since he pulled away shortly after. He then gave Layla a hug.

"Drive safely!" Layla chirped as he exited the house. She smiled and looked at her daughter. "How lucky are you? You got to see both your boys in one day."

Lucy blushed and nodded, covering her small smile with the back of her hand. She was so happy to have both Rogue and Gray at her side, knowing neither would ever hurt her.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: So you guys all had some strong hate towards Gray and/or Lucy in the last chapter. I'm glad that I'm stirring up some emotion. You will probably hate me after this chapter, but I want you to know that I have a plan!**

**Please Review :)**

* * *

Gray woke up to the worst headache he's had in a long time. The sun was shining on his face and he could hear someone stomping around downstairs, all of which made his head pound more. He rolled over and snuggled into the warm body beside him, which snuggled right back. His face scrunched in confusion when he felt the curvy hips and large chest. He realized it was just Cana and attempted to go back to sleep.

_Just Cana._

He about jumped out of his skin. Since when did he think that? Opening his eyes, he saw her peacefully sleeping. It looked like she just had the best sex of her life after doing her favorite thing: drinking. He almost threw up when he realized that was _exactly_ what happened. And, much to his dismay, he was getting hard just thinking about all the things they probably did the night before. He felt completely disgusting for it, too. What about Lucy? What would she think? She would probably cry and not speak to him for a year. Sadly, that probably wasn't being dramatic.

The stomping seemed to be getting louder. He couldn't figure out why, but then he realized he was in Cana's house. Then who was stomping? He only knew one person that naturally walked loudly, and that was Gildarts. He cursed under his breath and shook Cana's shoulder. She opened her eyes with a confused look.

"Why are you waking me up?" she asked moodily, clearing not bothered that she was laying in bed, naked with Gray.

"First of all, it's Monday morning and we have school," he said. She shrugged and closed her eyes again. "Your dad is also making his way to your room, I think." Her eyes snapped open at this.

"Shit!" she cursed. "Quick, get dressed! Hide in the closet, something!"

Gray quickly hopped out of her bed, looking around the room for his clothes. He noticed that Cana was watching him. He would have shot her a cocky grin, but now was not the time. He wasn't with her any more, so she shouldn't even be seeing him naked, and her terrifying father who would easily kill him was almost to the room.

The door opened faster than Gray thought it would. His pants half on, he lunged into Cana's closet. He managed the pull his pants fully on just as the door opened completely. "Cana, why aren't you getting ready yet?" Gildarts asked, looking at his daughter sternly. "Oh, let me guess. You got drunk last night, right? "

Cana nodded furiously. "Yeah, I _just_ drank last night." She flashed him a cheeky smile. Smiling wasn't something she usually did, so her father knew something was wrong right away.

Gildarts looked around her room, looking for what was out of order. His eyes landed on Gray's black shirt on the floor. He shot a glance to Cana. She put her hands up in defense. She had already managed to put a shirt and her underwear back on, so he shouldn't have been so suspicious right off the bat. "Cana," he said in a threatening tone.

"That's Gray's," Cana openly said. Gray cursed from inside the closet. Was she _trying_ to get him killed? "He left that here last time he was over. You know how bad he is with keeping his clothes on." Gray could practically hear the innuendo in her voice. That's how obvious it was.

Gildarts rolled his eyes. "I was just in your room yesterday and this wasn't here." He walked straight to the closet. He opened the door with such a force that it almost few off it's hinges. Gray was standing there, pale as a ghost. He was picked up by his arms and lifted a foot off the ground. "You better start running," Gildarts hissed.

Gray jumped away and ran out of the room as fast as he could. He knew that Gildarts wouldn't run after him, but it was safe to say that he should avoid being alone with him for the rest of his life. Gildarts was the carefree type, never doing his job or really caring about anything in general, but when it came to Cana, he was a completely different person. Sure, he didn't care if she drank as much as she did, but he really didn't want her in relationships. That was were he drew the line, it seemed. If someone looked at her sideways they were dead.

Gray ended up walking back to his house. He took a shower and changed in a matter of minutes. Oddly enough, he was ready the same time Ultear was. She offered to drive him to school, since his school wasn't too far from hers. He was glad he didn't have to walk to school, since he knew he already missed his bus.

When he finally got to school, he was very nervous. He had a study hall with Gildarts first period. Their whole group did, actually. That made things complicated. He would have to sit in a room with Gildarts wanting to kill him, Cana whom he just slept with, and Lucy. He just knew the guilt would eat him alive.

Everyone was already in the room when he got there. He was so worried about showing up, walking so slowly, he was five minutes late. That just made his presence more known. The whole room turned to look, including Gildarts, who never really looked up when people come in. He could have easily gone in unnoticed if he was on time, but he was to busy freaking out to realize that. So there he was, standing in the doorway like an idiot, his palms starting to sweat. And in one moment, everything seemed to happened at once.

"You bastard!" Gildarts yelled, jumping up from his desk. He ran over to Gray, fully prepared to punch him, despite his position as a teacher. He knew Makarov wouldn't fire him.

Gray dropped his backpack and ran to the other side of the room, Gildarts on his heals. He was running around frantically. He would jump a desk, run around a couple, knock a few chairs down, jump a couple more, and move around all the backpacks on the floor. Gildarts seemed to be causing more damage, since he wasn't as small and nibble as Gray. The whole room was either staring in confusion or laughing. The guys were pretty much the only ones laughing. The girls didn't really understand what was going on, so they were confused, unlike the guys who didn't really care what was happening; they just thought it was funny. Cana was the only one that knew what was going on, and she really wasn't happy.

"Dad!" Cana blurted out. Gildarts froze. Gray quickly ran over behind her, not caring how cowardly it was to hide behind a girl. "Just leave him alone! God, it's not like anything happened that I didn't want to."

Gildarts honestly looked like he was going to cry. "But Sweety!" he called out, making almost everyone snicker, even Gray.

"You are so annoying," Cana groaned, leaning back in her seat.

Gildarts looked at Gray angrily, practically snarling at him. He didn't like that Cana was mad at him. He sighed in defeat and went back to his desk, aplogizing for the outburst. That left everyone very confused. Natsu and Loke picked Gray up by his arms and drug him out the door, down the hall, and into the bathroom, despite his protests.

"What the hell?" Natsu yelled, throwing Gray onto the floor. "What was all that about?"

"Dude, don't tell me you hooked up with Cana," Loke laughed. He noticed the guilty look on Gray's face. "Oh god. No, you didn't! If Lucy finds out-"

"I _know_," Gray sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't even know how it all happened. We were all pretty plastered last night. She sort of jumped me when we went into the kitchen. I don't even know how it all happened. I can't remember everything from last night, honestly. Well, before it happened, I mean." He couldn't fight the small smile grazing his lips.

"You're so fucked," Natsu laughed. He cleared his throat, realizing this was too serious to laugh about. "This is really bad! You slept with your ex-girlfriend and enjoyed it!"

"I know!" Gray blurted out. He put his face in his hands. "I feel like a total ass."

"Okay, what's going on," Jellal said, coming into the room. He noticed the worried looks on all their faces and the fact that Gray looked like he was about to cry. "Let me guess, you slept with Cana last night and can't bring yourself to regret it."

"She _knew_ this would happen," Gray mumbled, completely ignoring the fact that Jellal was there. "She told me that I had to give her one last chance before anything got too serious with Lucy. Why didn't I notice it then? She knew that it would fuck with my head." He let out a groan. "I knew I shouldn't have let Lucy go with Rogue last night. None of this would have happened."

"Whoa," Loke said, putting his hands up. "She went out with Rogue?"

"Her dad made them go on a date. That smooth bastard made her think it wasn't a date. He's trying to take her away. He openly told me that, too. He's acting like the innocent one even though he's messing with her head, making her thinking something is wrong with me and she should be with him," Gray explained.

"Maybe you should let her go," Jellal said, shocking everyone. He was the one who always had the best advice, so they couldn't believe that he would say that. "You obviously have something going on with you and Cana. If she's into this Rogue guy, maybe you should just let it happen. If it's meant to be then you guys will get back together."

Gray's jaw dropped. Seriously? Why would he even suggest that? And why was his brain thinking it was a good idea?

When Gray got back to the room, the bell was just ringing, telling everything that first period was over. Lucy smiled at him with the same bright smile as always, so he knew that the no one had talked while he was gone. He wanted to yell at her, tell her to stop smiling at him like that, but he knew that he couldn't. He wanted to tell her to stop trusting him and realize how horrible he was, but he knew he couldn't do that, either.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on slower than usual for him. Lucy would ramble on about anything when they had time to talk and were alone, of course, since she wouldn't talk in front of others like that. It was like nothing happened and everything was normal. It wasn't normal and, he realized, that it never would be. If he told her what he did with Cana it would break her heart. If he didn't tell her, it would break his. Sadly, he knew what he had to do.

They walked out of school together, holding hands. He saw Layla's van parked along the sidewalk like always. He stopped walking after a few steps. They were only just out of the building. Lucy looked at him in confusion. She thought it was odd for him to just stop walking. He sighed and pulled her off to the side. He looked out and saw that Layla was playing with the radio, so she wasn't paying attention to them. "Lucy," he said slowly.

"What?" Lucy asked, noticing the serious expression on his face. She couldn't imagine what was bothering him.

Gray noticed that Layla was watching them now. That just made it harder. She had to fully watch it happen to her daughter. "This isn't working," he said, not really sure what to say. He didn't exactly want to tell her that he cheated on her. If there was even the smallest chance of them still being friends after the breakup, he didn't want to ruin that by telling her what he did.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. She honestly didn't know what he was talking about. She's never been in a relationship, so she's never been through a breakup or had to breakup with anyone before.

"Us," Gray said, looking at his feet. He sighed and looked up to meet her eyes. She still had a hint of confusion on her face, but it was clear she was starting to get it. He didn't want her trying to go back to him, though. She needed someone nice that wouldn't hurt her, like Rogue. He needed someone like Cana who knew exactly how to get in trouble, would probably cheat on her, but he'd get over it because he knew she would always come back. He didn't need, or deserve, someone sweet like Lucy. She certainly didn't need a jerk like him. "I'm breaking up with you. It's over between us," he said, being perfectly clear.

Lucy's eyes widened. He kissed her forehead, let out a "see you around," and walked away. Tears started to form in her eyes. They were over? Just like that? She had to have done something. Was it because she didn't want to have sex with him? That was a possibility, even though he knew she wasn't ready. He may have gotten impatient. Or was it that she talked too much? Did he just want her to sit there quietly and never speak? She was so overwhelmingly confused. What could she have done?


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: You guys have all responded pretty negatively to the last chapter. I'd imagine that, honestly. I just hope that you all have a little faith. It will all work out in due time. I just find it funny how many of you have been talking about Rogue. I mean Gray breaks up with Lucy for Cana and you're all worried about Rogue being OOC. Haha. Well I always find it odd how in the anime he is always quiet and portrayed as very respectful and kind. Just because he's quiet doesn't mean he has to be good, right? I mean why can't he be devious. **

**Please Review!**

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"Gray?" Wendy asked, knocking on her brother's door. "Mom wanted me to tell you that dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry," Gray called back.

Wendy pouted and ran down the stairs. She couldn't remember a time when Gray wasn't hungry for dinner. He was always excited to eat with everyone. Many times he would be downstairs almost an hour before dinner, complaining that he was starving. It was odd that he wasn't hungry.

"I told you to get your brother," Ur said, setting the table for dinner. Ultear was helping her. Kyle was just coming into the room with a big pot of chili that would be their food for the evening.

"He said he wasn't hungry," Wendy said, sitting down at her usual place.

"He did go straight into his room after school," Ur said, thinking aloud. "Do you think he's upset about something?"

"I'll go talk to him," Kyle offered, kissing Wendy on the head. "You guys go on and start eating." He made his way up the stairs, wondering what on Earthland could be bothering his adoptive son. He knocked twice on the teen's door.

"I told you I'm not hungry!" Gray yelled out, his voice breaking a little at the end.

"It's me," Kyle said, jiggling the handle. The door was locked. "Can I come in?"

"Just go away," Gray faintly responded. He was curled up on his bed, seconds away from crying. He knew that he made Lucy cry at school, and he hated himself for it. He truly didn't know what to do. There was obviously something between himself and Cana the night before, and he did miss her, but he loved Lucy. But with Lucy he often felt like he was babysitting a child. Cana was a woman who could handle herself. She didn't need him there every second of the day, but she could entertain him and wanted him there. There were so many silent, awkward moments with Lucy. He didn't know how far was too far. She would be fine with him doing something one minute, yet hate him for it the next. It was too frustrating trying to be around her. But he still loved her, oddly enough.

Kyle could hear that Gray was either crying or close to it. "Gray, open the door," he said sternly. He couldn't bare the thought of something so severe happening that could bring his son to tears. He knew that Gray never cried or showed much of any weakness, yet he was breaking down by himself in his room.

Surprising Kyle, he heard the door _click! _as it was unlocked. He slowly opened the door. Gray was laying on his stomach on his bed, silent tears threatening to fall. It broke his heart to see him that. "What happened?" he asked, sitting beside Gray on the edge of the bed.

Gray was debating whether to talk to him or not. He may have some solid advice. He was the only family that knew that he ever dated Cana. Kyle had to promise not to tell Ur in order for him to know. It was their little secret, and actually the only secret they shared at that point. Sharing that between just them actually brought them together as father and son. Gray had fully excepted that he had a new family at that point and began to trust Kyle.

Kyle thought a moment. "Did something happen with Lucy?" He knew that the two have been dating for quite a while now, so he was just taking a wild guess. The girl hadn't come over since the disaster dinner they had, at least that he knew of, so he wondered if they were still dating. She seemed like an odd girl, not talking much and hiding under her clothing. He didn't really see how Gray could be with someone like that, since he was so outgoing, but they say opposites attract. He figured she was just nervous that night, anyways.

Gray began mindlessly playing with the edge of his blankets. "We aren't dating anymore," he said quietly, not meaning to sound sad. It came out that way, though.

"Did she break up with you?" Kyle asked. He figured she did, since Gray wouldn't be this upset if it was the other way around, unless, of course, he had to break up with her for some reason other than him wanting to.

"I broke up with her," Gray said with an offended tone. He's never been upset about a girl breaking up with him. Actually the only time he was ever upset about breaking up with anyone, no matter who ended the relationship, was with Cana. He mentally cursed himself for thinking about her again. He had thought about the possibility of getting back together with her many times, but not since Lucy arrived. Now he was thinking about it all over again, and that's clearly worked out for him so well already, considering he broke up with his girlfriend because of it. "It's really not a big deal."

"Then why are you so upset?" Kyle asked. He was considering the idea that Lucy cheated on him, but she seemed to shy to be in one relationship, let alone two at once. That made Gray's sadness all the more of a mystery.

"I'm not upset about that," Gray snapped before thinking. Was that true? Did he even care that he broke the poor girl's heart? He felt extremely bad about using Cana like he did, despite her being the one that started the whole thing. He felt bad that he put a wedge between Gildarts and Cana. She would probably ignore him for a while because of how much he was caring about the whole situation. It seemed like every time he tried acting like a father she got mad at him for it. But did he feel bad about hurting Lucy? The more he thought about it, the more he thought he didn't care. She's the one that can't decide what she wants, right? But wasn't that exactly what Gray was donig? A whole lot of not deciding?

Kyle could almost see the inner termoil inside of Gray. "What are you upset about?" If he wasn't upset about breaking up with Lucy, he must have done something. "What stupid thing did you do this time?" he asked, laughing, trying to lighten the mood a little. He noticed that Gray drooped a little. He did do something stupid. "Oh no, what did you do?" He could just tell it wasn't anything short of horrible just by the way he was acting.

Gray decided that he would tell his adoptive father. He wouldn't be upset about it. He would probably just make a joke then break out the good advice. That's what usually happened, anyways. "I was at Lucy's yesterday, right?" Gray asked, leading into the problem.

"Yeah, and you never came home," Kyle said sternly. "I hope you know you worried us sick." He thought a moment. "Did you stay at Lucy's? Don't tell me you slept with her and broke up with her afterwards." He hoped that wasn't the case. It was pretty obvious what that did to a girl. He's done it to a few in his day, and it never turned out well for anyone.

"Not with her," Gray said, not even thinking. He realized what he said the moment after. Kyle was giving him a look. He sighed and looked down at his bed. "I slept with Cana last night."

Kyle was speechless. How did he get from being with Lucy to being with his ex-girlfriend? Was he still dating Lucy at the time? And how exactly did he end up sleeping with Cana? He wasn't angry at Gray, though. He wasn't one to point fingers or get mad about what already happened. He was more of the type to explain why it was wrong and urge them not to do it again, that way his kids still trust him. It seemed to work for him so far. "Okay, you're going to have to explain more. I'm a little lost."

That's what was odd about their relationship. Gray could talk to him like he was one of the guys, and Kyle would act the same back. They wouldn't judge each other, and they would make jokes about whatever later. Sometimes they would even go into town and check out girls. That was just the bond they had, and they both loved it. Kyle was exactly like Gray when he was a teenager, making most of the same mistakes, so they got along quite well.

"Lucy and I were in her room and her dad just came in with Rogue, who's one of her friends from where she used to live. Jude just said that they have to go out on a date. It really pissed me off, but I didn't say anything to him. As soon as he left, though, I called Rogue out on it. He just said that they were just going to hang out, making Lucy think it was all innocent, then he told me that he was going to take her away from me and shit." He paused so Kyle could process what he was saying.

"So she left, just like that?" Kyle asked, a look on his face screaming confusion. He wasn't confused about what Gray was saying, though, but rather why Lucy would do that.

"Pretty much," Gray said, shrugging. "I just went over to Jellal's. When I showed up there was a party going on. We all got plastered." He noticed the pointed look he was getting. He knew that he could tell Kyle that he drank at parties because Kyle remembered going to all those parties himself as a teenager. He wouldn't yell at Gray for something he did. Ur, on the other hand, would freak. That's mostly why he was closer to Kyle; he was more level-headed. "When Cana said that I need to be with her one more time before anything get's too serious with Lucy I couldn't find a reason to say no. So we went back to her place."

"I'm surprised you remember so much," Kyle laughed. "Then again, I don't care how drunk you are; no one could forget getting with a girl like that."

Gray laughed with him. He didn't think it was odd that his dad just called his ex-girlfriend, and potential future girlfriend, hot. He was used to talking about hot girls with him. When they both calmed down, he continued talking. "I broke up with Lucy today after school." The image of Lucy's confused, crying face flashed in his mind. That was enough to make him want to cry all over again. "I didn't even give her an explain. I just told her the classic 'it isn't working' speech and walked away." His voice was cracking again.

"That must have broken her heart," Kyle said, judging by Gray's reaction. "You were her first boyfriend, right?" He recieved a hum in responce. "How far did you go with her?" Another good thing about them was that it wasn't awkward to talk about either of their sex lives, as long as they didn't bring up Ur. Past girlfriends were fine, but Gray wouldn't be able to look Ur in the face if they talked about that. He just didn't want to think about his parents doing that, anyways. It was okay to hear about when Kyle was younger simply because he wasn't as old and Gray didn't know any of the people.

"Second base," Gray said, shrugging slightly. He was still playing with the blanket. "I'm sure she isn't too upset about any of that," he said, meaning about how intimate she was before she was broken up with.

Gray's phone buzzed from inside his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had a text from Cana, asking him to come over. He said that he would be right over. He hoped out of bed, his sadness that originally brought Kyle into the room long forgotten.

"Gray?" Kyle asked. The boy turned around at the door. "If you love her, don't let her go."

Gray nodded and left.

He didn't have to ask which girl Kyle was talking about, because he wasn't meaning either one. He was leaving that for Gray to decide.


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you so much for being patient with me with this story and many others! I'm in a bit of a rough patch right now and just haven't had time to write. I'm going to really devote some time to getting a couple stories really far ahead. _Let's Play a Game_ is good enough to last me well past the summer, so I'm hoping to now get this story finished or close to it. I'm really not sure how much more I can add to this story, so I'm going to start wrapping everything up.**

**Have you guys every heard of Vans Warped Tour? It's so amazing! I went yesterday and saw a bunch of cool bands and even got a few autographs. It's definitely worth the time and money. If you guys have gone and want to share or haven't gone and want to hear about my experiences, go ahead and PM me.**

**Now on with the story!**

**Leave a pretty review :)**

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Layla watched as Lucy and Gray talked just outside of the school. She smiled faintly to herself. She just loved that they were together. Gray kissed Lucy on the forehead before walking away. Lucy put her head down and hurried towards the van. She opened the door and quickly sat inside, letting out a sniff. Layla wasn't sure what just happened. Did she just break up with Gray? She knew she shouldn't ask, so she just silently drove away.

The moment they got home Lucy scurried into the house, brushing past Jude as he tried to greet her. He smirked when he saw her crying. He just knew it was something with Gray, which made him very happy. That meant she was available for Rogue.

Lucy slammed her door shut and jumped onto her bed. How could this happen to her? She really liked Gray, maybe even loves him, and she was sure he felt the same way. It was all just too sudden. She pulled out her phone and dialed Yukino's number, hoping she would have some advice.

_"Lucy? Oh I'm so glad you called! I have something to tell you."_ came her sing-song voice from the other line

"I have some to tell you, too," Lucy said, wiping her eyes.

_"Okay, well I want to tell you fir-"_ She abruptly stopped talking. _"Are you crying?"_

"What's your news?" Lucy asked, shaking her head, even though Yukino couldn't see her.

_"I just wanted to tell you that Sting finally kissed me." _She had been trying to get his attention for over a year, and he finally noticed her as something more than an annoying friend. _"What's wrong?"_

Lucy let out a choked sob, which broke Yukino's heart. "Gray broke up with me."

Yukino gasped. _"Are you serious? There's no way! He seemed so into you."_

"Am I that horrible?" Lucy asked, her voice cracking. She had to take a moment to calm down enough to talk. "Am I that horrible that he has to suddenly break up with me?"

_"Shh, it's alright,"_ Yukino cooed, trying to calm her friend down, who began to sob again. _"There's nothing wrong with you. If Gray can't see what a beautiful, thoughtful, amazing girl you are then that's his fault."_

Lucy smiled slightly, wiping her eyes. "Thanks, Yuki." She took another deep breath to calm down. She couldn't remember the last time she cried so hard. "So Sting kissed you?"

Yukino let out an audible sigh of joy. _"Yes! It was so perfect, too! We were walking home from school together and he pulled me over to this park. We were standing under this big oak tree and he said that he was going to try something crazy, then he kissed me! It was so amazing."_

Lucy giggled as her friend started to go into detail about her first kiss and how the snow was falling and the birds were chirping and all the other details she felt like saying. She was still a little sad about her breakup with Gray, but hearing Yukino talk about how happy she was with Sting brought her mood up a little. Her friend was happy, and that made her happy.

X

Gray sighed in relief when he saw that Gildarts wasn't home. He parked his car and went up to the front door, which swung open before he could do that himself. Cana was on the other side, just wearing a matching set of blue underwear, which wasn't as distracting as he thought it would be. He was pretty used to seeing her like that.

"Dad's out drinking with some other teachers and won't be back until late," Cana explained, pushing Gray inside. Despite having the house to themselves, they still went up to the security of her bedroom. She sat on her bed and patted the spot beside her. He tensily sat.

"About last night," he began. His words caught in his throat. Images of him laying over Cana and of Lucy crying clashed in his mind. Which did he care about more? Breaking Lucy's heart, or a second chance with Cana?

"Gray," Cana said, resting her hand on his knee. "I'm really sorry that all that had to happen." She looked down to her lap, bringing her hand back. "I've been so hung-up over you. So many guys have asked me out, but none of them had any appeal. Any time that the girls or anyone else brought up 'types' in guys, all I thought about was you. When I saw that Lucy came to this school, I got so jealous of her. Even if everything was totally innocent, when she would look at you or hold your hand my heart would just clench. All those times that I had to hear about your relationship growing, all those times she ignored you, or even when she would act all timid and not know what she wanted, I got so angry! I couldn't help but wish that I could be in her place, simply because I would treat you so much better. At Jellal's last night...well, what do you want me to say? We were both drunk and the moment came up. How could you blame me for trying? I honestly didn't think you would go along with all of it."

Gray couldn't help but smile. All that she just said was purely her. He knew that she hadn't drank a drop of alcohol all day, so that wasn't just her drunk talk. She truly meant everything she just told him. That just made everything harder.

"I broke up with Lucy today," he said, his eyes cast downward. "I'm not sure what to do about any of this anymore. I was perfectly happy with her, but now past emotions are stirring up with you. I'm just so lost."

"Gray," Cana said gently. "If you want to be with me that would be amazing, but don't leave Lucy just because of me. You don't love me anymore. Don't try to convince yourself that you do. I'm not saying we can't get back what we had, but right now you're still not over Lucy, so don't push yourself. I'm fine with whatever you decide. Just think about it, okay? Take a few days away from me. Take a few days away from her. You need to clear your head so you can think clearly about what you want."

Gray smiled and shook his head. "You're just too amazing." He jumped up and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. Really, thank you."

Cana smiled sadly as he left the room. She knew she had no chance when Lucy was the other choice.

X

Lucy didn't show up to school the next day. Gray spent the whole day sitting by the window in all his classes to think clearly, so he didn't notice. Everyone else, one by one, began to notice. Natsu was the first. He asked anyone and everyone if they knew anything, but no one did. He tried texting and calling her, but she never answered him. He began to worry. And, slowly but surely, the worry began to spread. By lunch everyone but Gray knew that the blonde was missing and were worried sick.

Lucy told her mom that she wasn't going to school and walked out the door that morning. Layla knew that her daughter just need some time to herself, so she let her go. Jude went off to work as usual, and Layla baked to keep her mind off things. She didn't want to worry about Lucy, since she knew she wouldn't go looking for trouble.

Lucy walked around town, looking through the windows of different shops. She passed a few restaurants and cafes, but she never went in. She didn't have the stomach to eat. After walking around for a few hours, she decided to go sit at the park. She sat against the large tree at the center of the place.

Not long after, she heard an elderly couple sit down at a nearby bench.

"Oh, Harold, I just can't wait to see him," the woman said.

"Ten years and we finally get to see him," the man said. Lucy could hear the smile in his voice. "When our son died, I never dreamed that our one and only grandson would pick up the same dangerous job."

"It really does make you wonder," the woman said with a heavy sigh. "Why would anyone choose to go to war?"

Lucy stood up so fast she felt dizzy. She took a deep breath and leaned against the tree for support. After calming down, she began walking to the airport. Her parents must not have known. There was no way they wouldn't be there for him.

The place was very crowded. Dozens of families stood with signs saying the names of their loved ones that were returning from war. Lucy went up to the desk and asked for a piece of paper. She went over to a less crowded area and sat down with her legs folded criss-cross. She wrote down the name of the person she thought she'd never seen again and folded the paper, propping it up in front of her.

A large _whoosh!_ sound filled the building, letting everyone know a plane was landing. Two minutes later, a crowd of people began filling the already crowded space. Families laughed, cried, and celebrated before leaving, no doubt already having something special planned for when they get home.

When there were only a few families left, Lucy saw the person she was waiting for. He was scanning the room, no doubt hoping someone was there for him. When his eyes met Lucy's, he dropped everything and started running towards her.


	27. Chapter 27

**So now the story can begin the long, final arch! I'm going to start wrapping up some loose ends and just focus on the important parts. This chapter wraps together the last chapter and the new arch, so it is a little intense. Okay, a lot intense. It also leaves a lot to wonder, so enjoy :) **

**I have a poll on my profile, so please go and answer it! It's about which story I should write next. The poll will close the 12th and the 13th the new story will be posted. I know I'm still catching up on the ones I have now, but it's the anniversary of me being on FanFiction, so I have to publish something new!**

**Please leave a pretty review!**

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Lucy watched as he looked around. It all seemed to happen so fast. He saw his name on the paper, then his eyes followed up to meet Lucy's. Everything in his arms dropped to the floor and he began to run. The smile of his face was wide and happy. When he was close enough, he easily grabbed Lucy from the ground and crushed her in a hug.

"Lucy," he sighed, his nose buried deep into her hair. He was holding her like a baby, his large physique easily covering her small one.

"Laxus!" Lucy yelled happily, smiling wide at him. She couldn't believe how big he got. In five years he went from a thin and slightly tall thirteen-year-old to a tall and muscular man with broad shoulders and a chiseled face. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the long scar across the right side of his face.

Laxus set Lucy on the ground and looked her over. He wasn't surprised to see that she had gotten taller, but he was surprised at how thin she was. He always imagined that she would be curvy and with big breasts, but that wasn't the case at all. There was not a doubt in his mind that she was wearing kids clothes. That was the only explanation for how short her skirt was.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked, realizing the it was just past noon.

Lucy bit her lip and looked to the floor, nodding her head slowly. She was surprised that she was shy in front of him. A part of her believed that as soon as he came back she would be back to how she was before.

"Come on, let's get you there then," Laxus said with a smile, going back to pick up his things. He came back over to her and laughed. "Come on, there's no way I know where your high school is."

Lucy nodded and reached for his hand. He seemed to flinch back at first, surprised by the gesture, but when he saw tears form in her eyes and accepted her hand. She was a little ashamed that she got upset so easy, so she avoided looking at him. Instead, she stared at the ground and led him through the streets to her house. She wasn't about to go back to school.

When they finally got to the house, Lucy could tell that Laxus was going to protest, so she went inside before he could. He looked at the house in wonder before following her inside.

"Lucy?" Layla called from the kitchen. "Is that you?"

Laxus looked at Lucy, wondering if she was going to respond or not. When she made no move to, he began to get angry. He knew that she knew better than to be rude, but that's exactly what she was doing. Not to mention that she only said one word to him so far, which was his name. _What's wrong with her?_

"I'm glad you made it home okay," Layla yelled. "I'm just finishing frosting this cake. Why don't you come look at it? It's a new recipe!"

Lucy walked into the kitchen, but Laxus was too shocked to move. Not only was Lucy being rude and not responding, but because she didn't respond Layla knew it was her daughter. _Does that mean that Lucy is always like this? Why?_

Deciding not to dwell on it, he put on a smile and walked into the kitchen. Layla was holding out the cake to show Lucy, who just nodded her approval. When the older blonde saw Laxus, though, she dropped the pan. Glass, cake, and frosting smashed and went all over the floor and cabinets.

"I'm home," Laxus said, holding his arms out. Layla smiled in joy and ran over to hug Laxus. "Mom, you shouldn't be walking on all that glass."

"I have my slippers on," Layla said. Tears began streaming down her face. "I'm so happy to see you home safe." She patted his shoulders a few times. "Okay, I need to clean this up! Then I'll call your father and we can all go out for lunch. Or I could cook something, if you'd prefer."

"Why don't you have Lucy clean it?" Laxus asked. He couldn't remember a time when she wasn't jumping to help their mother.

Layla knew exactly what Laxus was thinking and chuckled. "No, no, it's fine. I can manage." She already had a broom in her hands.

Laxus grabbed the broom from her. "Of course you can, but Lucy always cleans up, right?" He looked over to the young blonde who was staring at her lap. "Lucy is always jumping to help, never wanting you to do more than you have to. Actually, Lucy would also be at school right now."

"Laxus," Layla said sharply, taking the broom back. "It's been five years since you've been with this family. Things have changed."

"What has changed?" Laxus asked, grinding his teeth. "That Lucy has become a spoiled brat?"

"Laxus!" Layla gasped, her eyes flying to Lucy.

Lucy jumped up from her seat and ran out of the room, not caring that glass was forcing it's way into her skin. Tears wildly streamed down her face, making her vision hazy. She ran outside into the street, running any way she could.

After a while, her run slowed. She looked and saw that she was in town. People were buzzing around her, no one noticing or caring that she was crying. "Rogue," she cried, wiping her eyes. She fell down to her knees, not able to stop her sobs.

A cab zipped by. She jumped up, waving her hands in there air. The car stopped and she ran to it, hopping into the back seat. "Oak Town," she said, her sobs starting up again as soon as the car began to move.

X

"Can you two please stop?" Rogue asked in frustration, looking away in disgust.

"What?" Sting asked, looking behind him at his best friend. "You mean this?" He leaned over and kissed Yukino's forehead, nose, both cheeks, lips, chin, all over her neck, and finished by running his tongue up her face.

"Sting," Yukino laughed, ducking away. She grabbed their entwined hands with her free one, leaning into his shoulders lovingly.

Rogue rolled his eyes. He hated that Sting and Yukino were together, constantly flaunting it. It just made his heart ache. He hadn't seen Lucy since the weekend, and he was regretting how everything happened. When he thought back, he realized how awful he was being. Lucy was finally happy, finally getting some color to her cheeks, and he wanted to ruin that. It hurt that he couldn't be the one to do that, but it shouldn't matter who it was as long as it happened. He realized that Gray was probably only able to do that because he was a direct link to her childhood, a direct link to Laxus, who completely shattered her heart when he left.

"Okay, I'll see you guys later," Sting said as they came to his road. "Until we meet again!" he said dramatically, kissing Yukino long and hard before smiling and walking away.

"I'm sorry," Yukino apologized, watching her boyfriend walk away. His road was perpendicular to her and Rogue's. "I know it's hard for you. Sting is just very excited to be dating someone and I would hate to tell him to stop. It would upset him."

"Yeah, I know," Rogue said, beginning to walk again. Yukino fell into pace beside him. "It just sucks that I'm singled out. Lucy isn't here to balance us anymore. We became uneven when she left, but now that you're together it's always me that's left out."

"I know and I'm really sorry about that," she apologized again. "We'll just all have to split up sometimes. If Sting and I are together it's going to be a date, so you'll be left out. You and I will have to hang out and you two will have to, just until he calms down. It's just all new and exciting for him. I mean it is for me too, don't get me wrong, but I've dated before. He's went on dates, but he's never had a girlfriend. I'd give it a week, two tops, before everything goes back to normal."

"As normal as it can be." Rogue saw the sad look Yukino gave him. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean it more like if we're all sleeping over I can't let you two go to get extra pillows without worrying if you're doing something on my bed."

They both laughed, which they both needed. It felt good for it to just be the two of them, since they're never alone. Her and Sting had been alone before, and Lucy and Rogue had, but never just them. It was something they both enjoyed and needed to do more often.

"Maybe our group just isn't meant to constantly be a group anymore," Yukino suggested. She looked up and saw that she was in front of her house. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Rogue said, watching her go inside. When she was safely behind her door, he turned and ran across the street and down one house. He opened his door and looked back one time before going inside.

"Rogue? Is that you?" came a female voice.

"Yeah, Mom," Rogue sighed, kicking his shoes off. He opened the small coat closet and slipped his brown jacket inside.

His mother came around the corner. She had her green hair tied back into a bun and she was wearing her favorite apron, the pink one that said BISCA'S KITCHEN in black letters. "I hope you're hungry! I made a whole pot of vegetable soup and fresh bread. Doesn't that sound yummy?"

"Yeah, that'll be great," Rogue said, giving her a weak smile. He had been feeling so exhausted. Just greeting his mother with a smile has become a chore. "Do you work tonight?"

"Eight to five," Bisca said with a sigh. "These night shifts are really killing me." She turned to walk back into the kitchen.

Rogue followed. "Why don't you ask to switch then?" His mother had been working nights for two weeks now and the only good thing out of it was getting to eat an actual meal instead of his father's awful cooking.

"They're training a couple new nurses so they needed a few people to be on night shift until they're trained. It pays a lot more so I jumped on the idea," Bisca said. She used a small spoon to test the soup. She turned the heat up a little on the stove. "Can you go over to Yukino's and get your sisters? They were playing with Angel while I slept."

Rogue got up and went to put his shoes on. Since he was just going across the road he didn't bother with a coat. He went inside Yukino's without even knocking, since he practically lived at her house, as well as Sting's.

"Asuka! Hisui!" he yelled.

Asuka and Hisui were his twin sisters. They were three, while Angel was four. The two were twins, though they looked nothing alike aside from their round faces. Asuka had black hair and Hisui had green, the only one that received Bisca's hair. Asuka's eyes were more purple while Hisui had black eyes.

Yukino brought them to the door. Rogue told her to thank her parents for him, said goodbye, and made his way across the street. He stopped in front of the house directly across from Yukino's, the one beside his.

"Where Lu?" Asuka asked, tugging on Rogue's pant leg.

"Lu?" Hisui asked, smiling. "Lu here?"

Rogue sighed. His sisters didn't understand that she was gone and never moving back. They hadn't seen her since she moved away, yet they were treating it like she just left for the day. They had no idea that she moved over an hour away so long ago.

Just as Rogue turned to go back inside, a car pulled up beside him. The door opened and Lucy hobbled out, her feet giving out as she stepped out. Rogue caught her, shock reaching his face. He looked in to see the driver waiting. If Lucy had ran away without warning, he knew she wouldn't' have money. He reached into his pocket and threw whatever amount he had at the driver, which happened to be around twenty dollars.

"Lucy, what are you doing here?" he asked, scanning her face for an answer. She had a bit of frosting on her face and a lot of tears. He looked at her appearance and saw that she was wearing a tank top, a short black skirt, and no shoes. Looking closer, he saw that there was blood caked on her toes and small amounts on the tops of her feet and her ankles. He scooped her up in to his arms, not wanting her to hurt herself more. He began to walk inside, the twins following behind shouting the broken version of her name that they've all come to know and love.


	28. Chapter 28

**It's been a while. How are you all doing? **

**Please Review!**

* * *

When Rogue opened the door, the twins began shouting, announcing to the whole house that Lucy was there. Bisca and Rogue's father, Alzack, ran over to see what was happening. Alzack was just in the shower, having only gotten home minutes before Rogue, so he just had a towel around his waist.

"I didn't know Lucy was coming over," Bisca said with a disapproving tone. She loved Lucy, but she always liked being informed.

"I didn't either," Rogue said. "Can I please get through? She has blood on her and I need to help her clean up and calm down."

"It looks like she has glass in her feet," Alzack said, looking closely at Lucy's bloody feet. She curled her feet up, shy about Alzack looking. "Bring her up to my office and I'll help her after I change."

Rogue took note of how Lucy visibly stiffened. "I'm taking her up to my room. I can do it just fine," he said, wishing his father wasn't a doctor. Between his parents he couldn't even get a paper cut without having to be taken care of.

"That could get infected if you don't take care of it," Bisca said. "You better let one of us help you."

Lucy was shaking now. "No, really, you need to let me do it." His parents knew that Lucy was shy, but they didn't always remember that she was fragile, as well. "If you're worried so much then move and let me do this faster!"

His parents finally backed off so Rogue ran up the stairs. He went into his room, closing his door despite the house rule - no girls behind closed door without someone else being there.

"R-Rogue," Lucy choked out, sobbing all over again. He pulled out the first aid kit his parents made him keep in his desk and pulled out everything he'd need. She winced as he began taking the glass out as gently as possible. "It h-hurts."

"I know, baby, I know," he said sweetly, trying to calm her down. Her body shaking with sobs wasn't helping keep her keep still. She'd flinch every time he'd pull out a piece of glass. "Just calm down. It's going to be okay. I just need to get this glass out, then you'll be all better."

After a few minutes, Rogue was wrapping her feet. When he was finished with that, he sat beside Lucy and let her curl up into his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair and slowly rocked back and forth as she cried. Once she calmed down a little more, he moved her off his lap. She whimpered and looked up at him, making his heart clench.

"I'm going to go get you some water, okay? I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead before leaving. He could hear her crying again the moment he started walking away.

As promised, he got her a glass of water. He also called Yukino and asked her to come over. He sat with Lucy after she drank her water.

"Lucy?" Yukino asked gently, coming into Rogue's room after a quick chat with Bisca. The blonde was curled up into Rogue's side, silently crying. "You look like a mess!" she laughed. "Come on, how about we take a bath?"

Lucy looked up at Yukino with hopeful eyes. When she saw the look her friend was giving her, she slowly nodded. Rogue picked her up, since her feet were still hurting her, and led her to the family bathroom down the hall. He had a bathroom, but it didn't have a tub, only a shower.

Yukino turned on the water to fill the tub. She grabbed some bath bubbles and put some in, as well, since she knew Lucy liked them. She turned to see Lucy stiffen as Rogue set her down and began to leave."Rogue," Yukino said sharply. He quickly came back in. She mouthed "don't leave" and moved closer to Lucy.

Rogue looked away as Yukino changed Lucy. After a towel was wrapped around Lucy, Rogue picked her up and set her in the tub, carefully slipping off the towel as he did so, managing not to see her at all. He knew that seeing her wasn't the best thing at the moment, since she needed him to help her, not lust over her.

"I'm going to go get some of Sorano's clothes," Yukino said, leaving the room. Sorano was Yukino's ten-year-old sister. She wasn't fat, but her body hadn't filled out yet, so Lucy would fit into her clothes easiest.

Rogue watched Lucy carefully. She eventually stopped crying, but she still stared blankly at the water. He wanted to know what was wrong, but he didn't know how to ask. He'd never seen her so upset before and he didn't want to ask the wrong thing. He was usually the Lucy Expert, but he was at a loss.

Luckily, she began talking all on her own.

"Gray broke up with me," she said quietly.

Rogue's eyes widened. _Why would he do that?_

"And Laxus came home."

Rogue's breath caught in his throat. He really hadn't expected that so suddenly and without warning, either.

"He hates me. He thinks I'm a failure."

"You're not," Rogue said, sitting on the edge of the tub. "You guys haven't seen each other for five years. You can't expect it to go perfectly at first. It's going to take some adjusting. I'm sure he's different now just as you are."

Lucy turned and jumped into Rogue's arms, getting soap and water all over him. He stiffened, not sure what to do. He really had no choice but to hug her back, so that's exactly what he did. He wound her arms around her. He flinched when he realized that she sitting on the edge of the tub and he initially grabbed her butt. He moved his hands so he was holding her waist, being more careful this time. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine that they were back in his room, fully clothed, and that he wasn't reacting to having her so close to him.

"I knew I shouldn't have dated him," Lucy mumbled, hugging Rogue tighter.

"No, Lucy, you should have. He just shouldn't have broken up with you," Rogue said, his head spinning. He couldn't believe what was happening.

Lucy loosened her grip so she could look at him. "Rogue," she said, making him open his eyes. "I want you to kiss me like you did that day at school."

He hesitated only a moment before lightly pressing his lips to hers. She instantly melted against him. Their lips moved against each other, their tongues dancing together. Her hands tangled into his hair. His one hand moved to her butt to pull her closer, the other molding against her neck. She pushed against him, making him lose his balance and falling to his back, the kiss breaking.

Rogue's eyes scanned over Lucy before he could stop himself. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing heavy. Her hair was wet and all flowing down her back. Her hands were on his chest, her arms thin and long. He was never a fan of big breasts, so her's were perfect to him. Her legs were extremely thin and her hip bones stuck out. He never realized she was so skinny. It bothered him, of course, but he didn't care. He still loved her with all his heart. He had accepted long ago that she was extremely thin, so seeing it for himself hardly changed anything.

It seemed like an eternity, but it was only seconds before Lucy was kissing him again. He groaned and sat up, pushing her hips back as he did so. She looked at him in confusion, wondering if she did something wrong.

"Yukino is going to be back," he said, trying to catch his breath. "You need to actually take a bath."

Lucy nodded and got back into the tub, looking away in embarrassment. Rogue gave a wide smile. He was happy that she wanted him. There was a part of him that wasn't sure if she was just looking for someone to care, but at the moment he wasn't letting that side take over.

Yukino came back a few minutes later with two sets of clothes and pajamas. She helped Lucy wash her hair before they had her change into the light blue dress Yukino grabbed. Yukino didn't fail to notice that Rogue didn't look away. She decided to question him later.

"Bisca wanted us to go down once we had Lucy dressed, so let's head down," Yukino said, nodding at Rogue to pick Lucy up again.

By the time they were down the stairs, Lucy was asleep in Rogue's arms.

X

"I didn't think she would run off," Laxus said, breaking the silence. He and Layla had been driving around for almost an hour, searching for Lucy.

Layla sighed heavily. "Lucy isn't the same now. She barely talks to anyone, hardly eats, and cries at the drop of a hat. I wouldn't expect you to know that. I just wish I would have met you at the airport instead of her. I could have explained everything."

"She must have heard from someone else that I was coming because I didn't tell her. I was planning on it being a surprise for all of you." He felt terrible that his plan backfired.

"Luckily being a policewoman has its perks,," Layla said, looking down at a piece of paper. "Ex-policewoman, that is. I called the station back in Clover and they gladly looked up the addresses of all Lucy's friends."

"Damn," Laxus laughed. "Who's first?"

"Natsu."

X

Once Lucy woke up, everyone had already finished dinner and Bisca had left for work. Alzack didn't delay with offering dinner, though. She declined.

"Come on, you have to eat something," Alzack said. "It's not healthy to skip meals."

Rogue noticed how uncomfortable she looked. "Did you even eat today at all?" He was just becoming more and more worried as the day went on.

Lucy shook her head once.

Alzack's eyes widened. "Okay, you're definitely going to eat now. When was the last time you've eaten?

Lucy looked at Rogue and nodded towards him. His eyes widened. "This weekend? Lucy!"

Rogue pushed Lucy into the kitchen, sitting her at a stool. He sat beside her, making sure she didn't leave. Alzack put a big bowl of soup and a slice of buttered bread in front of Lucy. She crossed her arms and slumped back. Rogue tried to get her to eat, but she wouldn't open her mouth.

"Dad?" Rogue asked. "Could you just leave us alone? I'll get her to eat, you go bathe the girls."

"Just make sure she eats, okay?" Alzack asked. He gave a worried look to Lucy before leaving.

"Lucy," Rogue said gently, putting an arm around her waist. "You need to eat so you can stay healthy. I don't know why you're not eating, but it won't help anything."

"I can't," Lucy mumbled. She put her head against Rogue's chest. "It makes me sick."

Rogue scrunched his eyes in confusion. "It won't this time. Mom's the best cook ever, remember? You've always loved her cooking. Come on, I'll eat some, too." He made a big show of eating some of the soup, making her giggle. "Now you have to eat some."

Lucy hesitantly ate a spoonful. Rogue smiled at her. She smiled faintly and took a bite of the bread. _It is really good._

Even though Rogue already ate, he still ate half of her food to make sure she kept eating, since she didn't want to eat alone. It didn't end up being a lot of food in the end, but he was just happy that she ate something.

Lucy's stomach churned. She jumped up from the stool and tried running to the bathroom, but she didn't even make it out of the kitchen before her feet gave out on her. They were still really sore. Rogue ran over to her and saw that she had a hand to her mouth. He quickly picked her up and led her to the bathroom in his room, since the girls were bathing in the family one.

Lucy knelt in front of the toilet and gasped. Rogue sat down so she was sitting in between his legs and held her hair back. His heart clenched as she emptied her stomach. He looked up and saw that Alzack was standing there with only worry on his face. It looked like he was torn about something.

When Lucy had finished she began to cry. She leaned back against Rogue and buried her face in her hands. He held her tight and rocked her, trying to get her to calm down. He knew that she was always a little sad unless distracted, but since she moved away she became a mess. He originally thought that Gray was helping her be happy again, but that wasn't true at all. He was just a cover. She was no longer being distracted at all.

Everyone else was.


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello Everyone!**

**I've been pretty side-tracked lately. Moving has been crazy. I'd say I'm all settled now, but I haven't written in so long I've lost the inspiration for it. You have Tinygrande to thank for this update. She left a pretty long review and it was a little all over the place but it was exactly what I needed. Not only did she inspire me to continue writing, she also gave me the idea I needed with where to take this story in particular. For that I'm grateful! **

**As for the rest of you, if you have some ideas on where any of my stories should go, please PM or leave a review on that story! I'm trying get on my feet here and could definitely use a hand!**

**Please leave a review to inspire another update soon. **

* * *

"Dammit!" Laxus cursed, roughly throwing the van door open. "Who else is there?"

Layla crossed Mira and Lisanna off from her list and sighed. "There's no one else." She slipped into the driver's seat and started the van, but didn't drive. "I couldn't imagine her going to Gray. We should try, though."

The drive to Gray's house wasn't long. Layla parked alongside the road and put the car into park. She made no move to exit the car.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Laxus asked, noticing how she hesitated. He remembered Gray and Lyon, but he couldn't remember much. He was wondering if he missed something there, too.

"Gray and Lucy dated," Layla said, looking over to her son. "They recently broke up. It was pretty bad. I don't think she's recovered from that even now, then you came home. This is all such a mess." A sob broke out of her lips. "I thought I was doing so well without you. Jude isn't helping at all lately. You've always kept us together. After you left everything changed. Lucy changed. She stopped eating and wouldn't talk to us. You stopped writing and that crushed her even more. Now you're back and she's hurting more and we can't find her!"

"Mom," Laxus said gently, putting a hand to her shoulder. "You haven't failed anything. Things happen, but it'll all work out." He looked up towards Gray's house. "How about I go in?"

Laxus felt terrible for leaving his crying mother in the car, but he could just tell this wasn't the first time she's cried over him and Lucy. Lucy was still missing, so he needed to hurry. Jogging up to the house, he knocked on the door. A moment later, a little girl with blue hair opened the door. Her eyes went wide. He looked down and saw that he never changed, so he was still wearing his soldier's uniform.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

Laxus looked up again and saw a very attractive woman with short black hair towering over the blue-haired girl. He smirked. "I must have the wrong house," he said. He definitely wouldn't mind getting to know her better, though.

The girl smiled kindly. "Who are you looking for?" she asked. "I know all the neighbors."

Laxus leaned against the doorjamb. "Gray, uh, Fullbuster." He almost forgot the boy's last name.

"Wendy, why don't you go get your brother?" she asked the little girl. "That's my brother. My name is Ultear, by the way." She extended her hand.

Laxus' eyes widened. He hesitantly shook her hand. "I didn't know Gray had two sisters. I thought he just had a brother…" He let his voice trail off at the end.

By that time Gray was standing in the doorway. He looked Laxus up and down, surprised to see that the man asking for him was a soldier. "Can I help you?" he asked hesitantly. He was really hoping he wasn't getting drafted or anything. No one had been for a while, but he didn't exactly keep up with war to know if they would start again.

"Is Lucy here?" Laxus asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Lucy?" Gray repeated. "No, why would she be?"

Laxus looked Gray up and down. "You grew up so much. You're not a little kid anymore."

Gray was taken aback. He looked at the man before him closer. "I'm sorry, have we met?" He didn't remember meeting such a large man before.

Laxus chuckled softly. "It doesn't matter. I just need to know if Lucy is here."

"Sorry, I haven't seen her," Gray said. "Is something wrong?"

Laxus didn't bother answering. He knew that he broke Lucy's heart, but hearing that Gray had, as well, left him with no patience for the boy. He just hurried back into the van and shook his head. Layla sighed and began driving away.

"Do you think she went to Sting?" Laxus asked.

Layla did a U-turn and began speeding the other way. "I'm so stupid!" she shouted. "How did I not think of that? Of course she went to Sting!"

X

Alzack watched sadly as Lucy threw up in Rogue's bathroom. He was feeling a little conflicted. He wanted to help Lucy, but he didn't know if he could. She would have to go to a facility, but he didn't know if he could do that to her. Rogue had never mentioned anything being wrong with Lucy, so he had no idea what would lead the blonde to starve herself and purge when she eats. Something needed to be done, though.

"Rogue, can I talk to you?" Alzack asked. "Lucy, will you go in the living room for now?"

Lucy put her head down as she left the bathroom, ashamed that she just threw up with Rogue and Alzack right there. She knew that Alzack was going to talk to Rogue about her, so she definitely wanted to be in the living room, out of hearing range when the conversation began.

Alzack sat down on Rogue's bed, patting the spot beside him. His son sat down slowly. "I know you haven't said much about Lucy before, but right now you need to. She's in serious danger if she continues. Her body isn't going to hold on for much longer like this."

"I know!" Rogue shouted. "I don't know how to help her. So much shit is happening to her right now and I don't know how to make it all stop! One thing after another and there is no end! Laxus leaves and she's wrecked for years, then Gray comes into the picture and screws it all up more, only for Laxus to come back! It's such a mess!"

"Rogue, calm down," Alzack said, pushing him back to sit on the bed. Rogue hadn't even realized he stood up. Alzack was just surprised to see such an outburst from his usually quiet son. "Lucy just needs some help. She'll be fine. A lot is happening right now and she isn't handling it correctly. I'll just talk to her and-"

"No!" Rogue interrupted. "Please don't talk to her. I don't want something else to go wrong."

"Rogue, this is for the best. I have a degree in psychology. I know how to handle this. I see patients all the time with mental problems." Alzack didn't realize he would have to convince Rogue to let him help Lucy.

"Lucy isn't just a patient," Rogue said through grit teeth. "She's a person with feelings and doesn't need to be treated like numbers on a chart. It isn't about getting her stable or seeing how much money you can suck out of her. She needs someone to care for her."

Alzack was taken aback. "Is that all you think doctors do? Treat people like numbers and take their money for nothing? Rogue, we save lives. We help people who thought that they were at a dead-end. And, I'm sorry to say this, but Lucy is at a dead-end."

"Fine!" Rogue jumped to his feet and threw his hands in the air. "She's at a dead-end. You can stay here and think about the bullshit you're going to tell her, and I'm going to go do something about this." He stalked out of the room, slamming the door as he went.

Rogue found Lucy sitting on his couch, still as a statue. He grabbed her hand and drug her to his car without a word. She obediently sat in the front seat and let him drive her out of town. When they reached the outskirts, he stopped only to put the convertible roof down. He turned the radio on and went a comfortable speed down a dirt road with open fields hugging both sides.

"Rogue, where are we going?" Lucy finally asked. She could see the outline of trees creeping closer and closer.

Rogue didn't respond. He drove faster towards the trees. When they got there, there was a path just big enough for his car. He slowly drove down it, careful not to scratch his paint. This continued for only a few minutes. The trees grew farther and farther apart, and soon enough they were at the foot of a waterfall.

"This is the place," Lucy said in awe. She and Laxus used to come here all the time. Laxus brought Lucy, Rogue, Yukino, and Sting out here to tell them he was leaving. They had brought two cars, something he insisted on, because he left right after he told them, not sure if he'd ever return. "Why'd you bring me here?"

Rogue got out of the car and pulled Lucy out, pushing her against the passenger door. "Lucy," he said slowly. "I'm not letting you hurt yourself like this anymore." He noticed how her eyes looked tired and worn. "Everyone keeps hurting you. I'm not going to let you do it, too."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat. "But no one wants me," she said quietly. "Why should I want me?"

Rogue laughed. "Sting and Yukino want you. Layla wants you." He put his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "I want you."

Lucy closed her eyes, too. "You're just saying that. You guys just think you're stuck with me."

"I don't mind being stuck with you," Rogue said. "I'd be stuck with you forever if you asked me to."

"Rogue," Lucy breathed, opening her eyes. "Gray didn't want me."

"Because he's an idiot," Rogue said smoothly. He opened his eyes back to stare into Lucy's. "There's no other reason he'd leave you. I'd never leave you. You're perfect."

Lucy brought her hands up to place on his cheeks. Her eyes scanned all over his face, wondering why she couldn't have fallen for Rogue first. He was so much better to her than Gray. Gray made her heart flutter, but she felt safe with Rogue. "Don't ever leave me," she whispered before pressing her lips to his.

Rogue deepened the kiss and pulled her closer, rubbing little circles on her hips with thumbs. She melted against him, putting her arms around his waist and up his back under his shirt to feel his back. He was shocked at the bold move but didn't show it. He tightened his grip and pulled her up to be closer to his height. She reached up just a little and put her legs around his waist so he didn't have to hold her up. He wasn't prepared to support her weight like that and staggered back. Lucy let out a squeal as they fell into the pond the waterfall filled.

They broke the surface, laughing. The water was clear, so Rogue decided they should just swim. He didn't mean for them to make-out the whole time, anyways. They both jumped out and took off their clothes so they could hang them over the car to dry. When they were done they'd be able to pull them back on to stay warm.

When they got back into the water, Lucy swam over to Rogue and hugged him close. She smiled at him before kissing him once more. He really wanted to talk to her about how she was treating herself, but he wasn't sure if he was able to deny her when she clearly wanted to kiss him. He pulled her to him once more and kissed her fiercely. She let out a sigh and put her hands on his chest, feeling his pectorals and abs. He put his hands on her arms, hoping to keep her a nice distance away, not wanting her to feel how she was effecting him.

Surprising him, she put her arms around his neck and arched up, forcing his arms to rub against her chest. He was about to apologize, but he saw pleasure flash across her face. He moved his hands back to her chest and kissed her, going with what she wanted. She immediately clung to him more, apparently loving what he was doing. When she moved his hands back to her bra clasp, he was hoping that things wouldn't go too far. He really didn't need her doing something she'd regret in the morning.

He'd have to talk to her another time.


	30. Chapter 30

**Do you guys remember me and this story? I don't blame you if you don't. I've had this bit of a chapter written for a while and I just decided to post it for now. I'll eventually get around to writing a full chapter for you guys. I promise!**

**Happy New Years :)**

* * *

Gray slammed the front door.

"Gray, who was that?" Ultear asked angrily. "And why was he looking for Lucy? What did you _do_?"

"Is something wrong with Lucy?" Wendy asked.

Gray ignored them both. He walked into his living room, wracking his brain for answers. _Who was he? Why did he look so familiar?_

"What's going on?" Ur asked, coming into the room, Kyle in tow. They had heard the commotion and came downstairs.

"Laxus!" Gray gasped, realizing who the man was. He fumbled with his pockets to pull out his phone. After pressing some buttons, he put it up to his ear. "Please pick up," he mumbled. "Please, please, please, please."

X

"Laxus, slow down!" Layla gasped, seeing that her son was driving well over the speed limit. "At this time of night there could be cops out!"

He smirked. "Then why did you let me drive?" He turned down a street, slowing down considerably. "Besides, we're here."

The two scrambled out of the car and ran to the front door. Laxus got there first and, with a booming fist, knocked twice. Layla came up behind him and ran right inside, not waiting for someone to answer the door.

She ran into the living room. Her jaw fell open when she saw Yukino and Sting on the couch together, Yukino practically on his lap. They were obviously making out, the sound of Laxus knocking on the door giving them just enough to time to stop before their guests came in.

"Layla!" Yukino gasped, jumping back off of Sting and onto the other end of the couch. "What brings you here?" She looked and saw Laxus walk into the room. "So you _are _home."

Sting looked between the two blondes. "What's going on?" he asked. "Laxus, when did you get home?"

"Do you know where Lucy is?" Laxus asked, not bothering to answer Sting's questions.

"I just came from Rogue's," Yukino began to explain. "She showed up there. She was pretty shaken up over you. I helped her get a bath and Rogue was just trying to get her to eat when I left."

"Let's get to Rogue's," Layla said. "I really need to find my daughter."

X

When they got back into the water, Lucy swam over to Rogue and hugged him close. She smiled at him before kissing him once more. He really wanted to talk to her about how she was treating herself, but he wasn't sure if he was able to deny her when she clearly wanted to kiss him. He pulled her to him once more and kissed her fiercely. She let out a sigh and put her hands on his chest, feeling his pectorals and abs. He put his hands on her arms, hoping to keep her a nice distance away, not wanting her to feel how she was effecting him.

Surprising him, she put her arms around his neck and arched up, forcing his arms to rub against her chest. He was about to apologize, but he saw pleasure flash across her face. He moved his hands back to her chest and kissed her, going with what she wanted. She immediately clung to him more, apparently loving what he was doing. She moved her hands back to her bra.

"Lucy, no," Rogue said, drawing his hand away. "You're too emotional."

Lucy was about to deny it, saying that she was fine, but a gasp flew from her lips. She felt a pang in her chest that began to spread throughout her mid section.

"Lucy?" Rogue asked, holding her tighter so she didn't go under the water. "Lucy!"

Rogue wasn't going to wait for Lucy to tell him what was wrong. He scooped her up in his arms and got out of the water. He slipped his shirt on her before gently placing her in the passenger seat of his car. He drove straight to the hospital, Lucy tightly gripping his arm the whole way.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: The ending is a little cheesy, I know. I hope you all still enjoy it :) **

**Thank you to everyone who has supported this story!**

* * *

Laxus threw the car into a parking spot, hardly making it between the lines. Layla, running on auto-pilot, jumped out of the car and towards the hospital doors. Laxus, Sting, and Yukino ran inside, but they weren't moving quit as recklessly. Rogue's parents pulled in just as the trio were stepping out of the car.

When they got inside the building, they were directed to the proper waiting room. There, they saw Layla running up to Rogue and throwing her arms around him and sobbing loudly. He smiled sadly at her and returned her embrace.

"The doctor told me to bring you up when you got here," Rogue told her. "She's down that hallway, third door on the right. She's sleeping now, but she's fine." Layla nodded before hurrying off.

"Where's Lucy?" Jude asked, pushing his way into the room. To everyone's surprise, Gray and his family were right behind him. "Please tell me she's alright."

"Dad," Laxus said sadly, running up to him. He threw his arms around him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know I would cause her so much pain."

"It's okay," Jude said. "We don't blame you. Or anyone else." It was clear his last comment was directed towards Gray. "Let's go see her." He and Laxus went down the hallway Rogue directed Layla to, holding hands for assurance.

Gray let out a shaky breath, taking everything in. Rogue's parents were taking to Sting and Yukino, trying to piece together a story. Rogue was pacing, and Gray felt so shame in interrupting him. "What the hell is going on?" he asked. "Did you let something hurt her?"

Anger flashed across Rogue's face. He grabbed Gray by the front of his shirt. "I don't know who told you that you can be here, but get away. I'm not letting you anywhere near her," he spat.

Gray jerked away. "Why do I have to leave?" he asked. "I didn't do anything!"

Rogue scoffed. "Yeah, you're right. You didn't do anything. You didn't break up with her. You didn't break her heart. And you really didn't make her feel like she wasn't worth anything. You knew she was already not eating, yet you had to go and make things worse."

Gray's eyes widened. He knew Lucy was super skinny, yes, but he was never able to accept that the girl was starving herself. If he had known that he would make things even worse, he would have never done things the way he did.

Natsu came into the room with a relieved look. Rogue had called him before he took Lucy to the hospital, so he was able to meet them there. He was kind enough to sit with Lucy while Rogue waited for Layla. He was surprised and angry that Gray was there, but he knew that delivering the news about Lucy was more important.

"She'll be fine," Natsu told them all. "The doctor said that the stress Lucy is malnourished and would have eventually crashed, and the added stress today just made it happen sooner. He said they'll keep her for a few days before she can go home. They wanted to send her to Rehab, but we all assured him that we would closely watch Lucy and help her. I'm glad, because I think being in that situation would be too much for her."

"I'm going to go see her," Rogue said. He made sure to hit Gray's shoulder on his way out of the room.

Layla and Jude gladly left the room to let Rogue have a minute with Lucy. They wanted to speak with the doctor alone anyways, they told him. Rogue was grateful. Lucy was already awake, and she visibly relaxed when she saw Rogue.

"Rogue," she said, trembling. "I...I'm so sorry."

Rogue sat down beside her bed and grabbed her hand. "No, don't be sorry," he told her. "I'm the one that's sorry. I should have been there for you more. I know that you've been going through a rough time since Laxus left, and I wasn't there."

"No, stop," Lucy pleaded.

"You need to hear this, Lucy," Rogue told her. "I've loved you since we were kids. It was horrible to watch you be with Gray, and I should have acted sooner. Instead, I didn't say anything and I let you give him so much power."

Lucy smiled. "I love you, too, Rogue."

"From now on…" Rogue began.

Lucy shook her head and squeezed his hand. "No, Rogue. I'm done thinking about the future and worrying about it. I want to live one day at a time. Starting now."

Rogue kissed her gently on the forehead. "I think you should sleep."

"Will you stay with me?" she asked.

Rogue nodded and smiled. "I'll always stay with you."


End file.

Fairy Tail, Drama, Romance